Flora First Christian Church - Flora, IN

May 11, 2008

Acts 2:42-2:47

Connect the Dots Activity Page

Have children’s toys and games changed over the years or what? Even in the past decade, activities that once captured kids’ attention for hours now appear to bore them. One thing that can’t stand up against fiber options, cyber graphics, and computer chips is . . . paper. One children’s activity from a by-gone era was connect- the-dots activity sheets. You remember them? You started out drawing a line from dot No. 1 to dot No. 2 all the way to the highest number. About half way through connecting all of the dots a picture began to appear and then you could recognize the picture.

Connecting the Dots: The Early Church

Connect the dots might not seem like an exciting activity for kids today, but that’s what we want to do in today’s sermon. We want to connect the dots so that we get the bigger picture of what it takes to be . . . the church.
Our morning’s Bible reading described what the church sought to become from the very beginning within weeks following Pentecost. Let’s review briefly from last week’s sermon on the Holy Spirit. Today we know Pentecost as that day when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples while they were preaching in Jerusalem’s temple where Jewish persons had gathered from Northern African, Southwestern Asia, and Southern Europe. Jews had come back to Jerusalem to commemorate how God had given the Ten Commandments to Moses. On that Pentecost 50 days following the resurrection of Jesus Christ, there were again thousands gathered in the temple along with Peter and other disciples, when the Holy Spirit came upon them and all began to hear what happened to Jesus in their own language. That day over 3,000 received the message and was baptized into Christ. The church was born that day. In those early days of the church something amazing happened to these otherwise ordinary people. They were people who no longer thought of themselves, their rights or their possessions as their own. They realized that they were a part of something bigger than themselves. In other words . . . they were connected. Back to the dots!

The “Connect” Book

Edward Hallowell is the author of a book simply entitled “Connect.” In the book he says that we are a nation of doers. We hurry from place to place, filling our lives with all kinds of activities, not only over-scheduling ourselves but our kids as well. Hallowell makes the point that what really sustains us emotionally, psychologically, and physically is connectedness. Just as we need Vitamin C each day, we also need a deep dose of human contact everyday.
This congregation exists to connect people to God and to each other. We want others to see that when we are all connected to God and each other the church appears not like a connect-the-dot activity page, but as . . . the face of Christ.

What we Do on Sunday?

Why do we come together on the first day of the week? To be connected to God in worship not as mere observers, but as participants. Sunday School classes, Bible studies, C.W.F., mission opportunities, youth groups, VBS, and church camps all become points where we connect to each other. The church was never meant to be a place to attend, but a place where one becomes connected and grows. If we want to be spiritually and emotionally healthy we need to actually become connected with other spiritual beings.

Studying the Second Chapter of Acts

Twenty years ago I examined closely the second chapter of Acts in preparation for a camp Bible study with college age students. I remember becoming impressed by the connectedness of the early church. As I looked closely at this passage again this week I noticed four characteristics that defined the early church which was born out of Pentecost. These are the “dots” or characteristics that have always connected the followers of Jesus Christ to God. Let’s take a look at those dots to see what it takes to make a difference regardless of the generation in which we live.
I. The Apostle’s Teaching
Remember the first description of the early church? The book of Acts described how the followers of Christ devoted themselves first to the Apostle’s Teachings. These were the very words and teachings of Christ given to the disciples by Jesus himself. After Christ’ resurrection, the disciples were called Apostles which means “sent out.” The early Christians wanted to know how God wanted them to live and what they should be doing. It wasn’t a chore for them to learn; they were fascinated by these new truths and they couldn’t get enough.
Healthy Churches Know the Word
From the research of the present day church, the verdict is in. One of the signs of an active, healthy congregation is a commitment to learning the Word of God. Growing Christians are into the Bible, as much if not more than any other books or material they read . Learning HAS TO BE a major focus of the Christian life. If any of us ever get to the point where we are satisfied with what we know about the Bible then we are in trouble. If we ever think that God is done with us, then God has more work to do with us.

Billy Graham’ Daily Reading Plan

Rev. Billy Graham is a household name throughout most of the country and has had a sixty-nine year ministry. I read an interview with Billy Graham which stated that every day he reads, studies and prays four chapters from the book of Psalms. He then reads from one of the Gospels, the words of Christ, and then other select passages in the Bible. He said that every day he learns something new. I understand that he still has this same discipline today. At age 89, if anyone would know what’s in the Bible I would think that it is Billy Graham. And yet he says that he learns something new every time he reads it. Wow! When you and I stop learning and growing then we become spiritually stagnant.

II. Fellowship
The second characteristic of early Christians was: They devoted themselves to the fellowship. For the early church, fellowship did not mean recreation or social events. The word fellowship means “sharing Christ.” They did not live under the illusion that they could privatize their faith and become individual Christians with no connection. They had their time during the week of individual study and prayer, but they understood that it was no substitute for being with other people who loved the Lord and who worshiped together.
A verse that has often been my inspiration for worship is Matthew 18:20 when Jesus said: “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20). Jesus was saying that when we meet together for study, prayer and worship, He is with us and in us in a special sense which doesn’t happen when we are alone.

Building Campfires

One of the things I enjoyed doing during my years at church camp was building the campfire for the evening program. When building campfires, one quickly learns that when you put sticks and logs close together they can burn for hours, and even smolder for more than a day. If you separate a log from the others, it will be the first to lose its flame and go out. You may be on fire for Christ, but if you are trying to be on fire by yourself, you will burn out. We need other Christians close by to keep our fire going. This means a commitment to the fellowship and being together in Christ.
III. Breaking Bread
The third connection in the early church was: They devoted themselves to breaking of bread.
The second chapter of Acts described the early Christians this way: “Every daythey continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts” (Acts 2:46).
Bible scholars stand divided or whether this reference is to only sharing their food, as they ate their meals together, or if it also refers to the Lord’s Supper, as they shared the most sacred of food. Either understanding or accepting both ways this connection was still to God: the giver of all bread. As one who is still somewhat new to FFCC I am touched by the tradition of designing our Communion bread to be broken and shared with one another. This is what we witness in this passage. The early church was made of Christians who were the kind of people that when everyone else walked out of one’s life, they walked into it.

What Do you Do Without God?

There’s one question which ministers are often asked rhetorically by Christians while they are encountering illnesses, facing death of loved ones, or in times in which every earthly possession they own has been destroyed. That question is: “What do people do in this situation when they do not have God in their lives and a church family beside them?” Professional counselors will tell you, persons who overcome hardships victoriously have a support system and a confidence in or someone greater than themselves. Is that not the definition of faith? We saw this kind of connection in the early church through fellowship and in the sharing of bread, and this connection is witnessed in growing congregations.
IV. Prayer
The fourth connection point for early Christians was: They devoted themselves to prayer. They prayed when they were alone. They prayed with their families. They prayed together whenever they were together. It was the source of their strength. Powerful things happened among them because they prayed. Without prayer all the other things they did would mean nothing. We can study, worship and develop close relationships with other Christians, but if we do not pray, the rest will not fall into place. In prayer we come into contact with the Spirit of God. The empowerment that the early church experienced always came by way of prayer.

Jesus Instructions
Jesus gave us this instruction on pray: But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:6)
Private prayer becomes that time where we empty ourselves, and we allow God to fill us with His Spirit. Without this time of prayer we are running on empty.
A while back I came across this quote that has stayed with me: Prayer doesn’t change God’s mind—it changes and transforms us!

The Special Olympics

At the Special Olympics in Seattle a few years ago, nine contestants lined up for the finals of the 100 yard dash. All contestants were physically or mentally challenged. At the sound of the gun the contestants all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with hope to win the race. Suddenly one boy stumbled on the track, rolled over a couple times and began to cry. The others, who were running ahead of him, heard him crying, turned around and went back. After helping him up all 9 contestants linked arms and went to the finish line together. The crowd stood and cheered for over 10 minutes. Why are people still telling that story? We know that what matters most in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What truly matters is helping others win.” (Brian Bill) As the church joins hands and connects itself with God and one another it brings others into the win-win situation of eternal life.
This is the message: the church must links its arms together—in study of God’s Word, in fellowship, in worship, and prayer– if we’re to reach others for Christ.
This is the message I want to leave you today as we enter into our transitional ministry of Strategic Planning, Revitalization, and Growth. I’ve selected the theme for the next 18 months of “Reaching Up to Reach Out.” This theme signifies that we must reach to God intentionally to grow through our worship, in fellowship, in study of God’s word, and in prayer. On this Pentecost Sunday, I want to challenge each of us to enter into a covenant with God and our church. Inserted in your bulletin is a copy of a covenant. Throughout the scriptures a covenant is a holy agreement between two or more parties, and one was always God. I would like you to take a few moments to look over the covenant and each point of it and pray over it. And what you do with it is between you and God. During this time JoAnn will play some soft music. When you are done with your covenant, please place it in one of the envelopes, address it to yourself and seal it. Families may choose to put these in one envelope. As you leave worship today, please place it in one of the baskets in the back of the sanctuary. At some time in the future it will come back to you unopened. Following our time of covenant I will close in prayer.