"A temper displayed in public is indecent exposure."
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The Pastor's Pen ~ By Bro. Mike
WHAT MAKES A GREAT CHURCH GREAT-- PART II
Acts 2: 41-47
INTRODUCTION:
In Acts 2, we find several things that contribute to making a great church great. For one thing, a great church is great because it is an evangelistic church. This church was evangelistic and that can be seen in the fact that on the Day of Pentecost, three thousand people were saved and added to the church. This church saw this great number of people saved because they were faithful to preach the gospel. They saw the results of going forth and sowing precious seed. And the results of sowing that seed was they "came again rejoicing, bring their sheaves with them." A church that shares the gospel will see people saved. This church also saw three thousand people saved because God had answered their prayers and had poured out His Spirit upon them. When you look at Acts 1, you see that this church had prayed for ten days before Pentecost took place. After praying for ten days, Peter preached for ten minutes and 3000 people were saved. Now, I would never under value preaching, but what would happen if our preaching was energized by this kind of praying? God's heart and God's passion is in seeing people saved. And if we were to pray earnestly for the salvation of the lost, God would answer and we would see a harvest. If our heart is in tune with God's, we would see soul winning power. A great church is evangelistic with a passion for the lost.
A great church also follows up on those who receive Jesus as Savior. This church baptized those who gladly received His word and then got them involved in the work of the church. Everyone who knows Christ as Savior needs to be actively involved in a New Testament church. For one thing, every believer needs the fellowship that he or she will find in a New Testament church. We also need that time of corporate worship that we experience with other believers. And, every believer needs to be taught and grow in the word. The believer can find such teaching in a Bible believing church. Great churches are churches that worship, teach and fellowship. Great churches are also churches that practice consistency. The Bible says that this church continued steadfastly. And in these verses, we see the areas that this church was consistent in.
A GREAT CHURCH IS CONSISTENT IN HER DOCTRINE
The word doctrine simply means teaching. To be consistent in our teaching, the source of our doctrine must be consistent. A great church receives her doctrine from what God has said and given us in the Scriptures. A great church acknowledges that the Bible is a Divine book. The Bible is the product of God's inspiration. The word inspiration simply means "God breathed." As Jesus said, the Bible proceeded from the mouth of God. And even though God transmitted His Word through man, through the process of inspiration, God made sure that His Word was perfect and without error. And in the pages of the Bible, we find the principles and moral absolutes that God demands that we live by. Because God doesn't change, the truth found in His Word does not change. What was true a thousand years ago is true today. This gives us the confidence to challenge a world that either has changing values or has no values. A great church does not conform to this world's philosophy. A great church obeys what God has said in His word. A great church also does not twist or ignore what God says in order to please the world.
A great church teaches what is found in the Bible. A great church teaches the Bible systematically. We teach as the prophet declared, "line upon line and precept upon precept." Such systematic teaching explains what the Bible says and then applies it to everyday life. And that is the kind of teaching that needs to be taking place in our Sunday Schools. And in a great church, the members have a desire to hear what God has to say in His Word. Such members learn from positive instruction from the Word. They also learn from rebuke and reproof. These members then apply what they have been taught and become doers of the Word. In a great church, the members are consistently in the word and are consistently growing spiritually.
A GREAT CHURCH IS ALSO CONSISTENT IN HER FELLOWSHIP
For one thing, a great church is a church that has unity. In Acts 2: 1, it is said that the church at Jerusalem was all in one place and all in one accord. V. 44 also says that, "all believers were together and had all things common." This church had unity. Keep in mind that we can still be individuals and still have unity in the church. For instance, we can have differing spiritual gifts and exercise those gifts and still have unity in the church. Paul makes that very clear in I Corinthians 12. We can also have differing personalities and yet still have unity in the church. The apostles all had different kinds of personalities, yet when you look at them on the Day of Pentecost, they were unified. In our day and time, we can also have different tastes in music and yet still see unity in the church. I know there is often division in churches over music styles. Some like traditional music. Some like contemporary music. Some like Southern Gospel music. Some even like high church music. Keep in mind that when it comes to the music in a church, our praise is to be offered to God, not man. If God is pleased with our music, then that is all that matters. And since God is a God of variety, I'm persuaded that styles don't mean as much to Him as they do to us. Let's just be sure our music is Scriptural in its message and honoring to God. Don't let what is supposed to be used to worship God end up dividing God's people.
What is it that produces unity within a church? Our mutual love for Jesus will produce unity within a church. If I love Jesus and you love Jesus, that love for Jesus should give us a common basis for fellowship. "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another." When a church is having fellowship problems, it is an indication that that church's love for Jesus has cooled. Second, our mutual commitment to carry out the mission Jesus has given us will produce unity. Jesus has told us to evangelize and disciple the world. If we are really serious about fulfilling this command, we won't have time to disagree with one another or be disagreeable. Unity will be the result of fulfilling the great commission. Third, a church's unity will be achieved as we seek to see God's will done on this earth as it is in heaven. A great church is a unified church.
A great church has a consistent fellowship because of the way it ministers to one another. A great church with a consistent fellowship bears one another's burdens. When one member of that church hurts, all the other members have sympathy pains. For that reason, a great church lifts one another up in prayer. For that reason, a great church comforts one another in time of sickness, death and tragedy. A great church ministers to one another. A great church with a consistent fellowship also gets to know one another. In a great church, church members become friends. New members are assimilated into the body and become friends of those who have been there a while. Great churches don't have little cliques that refuse to let others become a part of their group. A great church is great because it has a consistent fellowship.
CONCLUSION:
Any church can be a great church that is consistent in its doctrine and fellowship. And in the process of exhibiting these traits, we will see the church grow numerically. We can grow numerically as we are faithful to teach His Word. God will give us souls to watch over as we faithfully teach His Word. People who are hungry will be drawn to a church that faithfully teaches His Word. We will also grow numerically as we exhibit a consistent fellowship. People will know that we are of Jesus as we love one another. People want to be a part of a great church that will love them.
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