Cultivating Community #1 – Notes

I. INTRO

1. Today we’re beginning a 4-week series entitled Cultivating Community. Our series will use Acts 2:42-47 (pgs. 759-60) as a base camp.
2. To introduce the series I’d like to show a clip from a 2012 movie called, Here Comes the Boom … It stars Kevin James as a high school biology teacher (Mr. Voss) who uses an energetic approach to his biology lesson on the restoration of cells. In the clip when you hear the word system think of the Church. Roll it…
3. It’s about “hitting a rhythm” so the “entire system” can flourish. (We have several opportunities to serve this Fall…)
4. I have a dream, a longing, for Sunridge Community Church: The theological language for “hitting a rhythm” and seeing the “entire system” healed or flourishing would be, “renewal,” or “awakening,” or even the word “revival.” These words describe my dream for Sunridge.
5. What does it take for renewal, or awakening, or revival to occur? Historians and theologians have been studying the churches for 2,000 years and Acts 2:42-47 provides us with five marks, or indicators (vitamins?), that are are almost always present in renewed, vital, revived, restored, and dynamic churches. I’ll begin reading in v. 37, through v. 47 then pray and we’ll jump in (p. 759)…

³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to [the] fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to [the prayers][1] prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶ 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, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

II. BODY

1. What I would like to accomplish this morning is to begin to identify and unpack the five marks of a vital church that we see in Acts 2:42-47. I will spend the most time on the first one because that is supposed to be my main focus for this morning — and then give a very short overview of the others (they will be covered in greater depth in the coming weeks):
2. The five marks of a renewed and vital church[2]:
   1. Vibrant Worship
   2. Exciting, Loving Fellowship and Community
   3. Teaching With Theological Depth
   4. Effective Communication of the Gospel (Compelling Evangelism)
   5. Compassionate Social Concern
3. Now I will go back through them one at a time…

1. Vibrant Worship – Many of us, when we think of the word worship, we think of singing. Or maybe, someone else singing worship music. What Acts 2:42-47 is explaining to us is that vibrant worship is actually a lifestyle.
   • (V. 42) The word devoted implies that worship infuses (breathes life into) all of the marks of renewal.[3]
   • So, what I’d like to do is provide a few definitions, or descriptions of worship to help us understand a broader perspective of worship…
     1. The English word worship comes from an Olde English word meaning “worth-ship.” “Both public and private acts that have two parts: 1) Seeing what God is worth, and 2) Giving God what He is worth.” Every approach to worship must have those two elements.
     2. Worship is pulling our affections off our idols and placing them on God. Idols are the things or activities we turn to for comfort when we are anxious or afraid. The most common idols in our culture are money, sex, and power… (Test: 1) What do you daydream about? 2) What do you worry about? 3) When there are competing demands – where do you put your money? Where you put your money the most is what you worship.)
     3. Biblical worship occurs when we realize we’ve been trusting in our own abilities, not the sovereignty and goodness of God. (Sovereignty means undisputed power and authority.)
     4. Worship is grasping a truth about God and then letting that truth change us in the center of our being. The truth thrills us, confronts us, and comforts us. Worship moves Truth from our head to our heart.
2. Exciting, Loving Fellowship and Community – There is a remarkable and visible, almost tangible love inside the church that people cannot account for.
3. Teaching With Theological Depth — The unfolding gospel is at the center of all the church is and does. It takes two truths:
   • That God is infinitely holy and just, demanding moral and spiritual perfection for acceptance. (Dr. Phil: How’s that working for you?)
   • God is infinitely loving and merciful. Because of what Christ has done we are completely and totally accepted.
   • These two truths intersect at the cross and produce a holy tension of humility that makes us kind AND courage that makes us bold.
   • Theological depth is, over the course of a lifetime, exploring this tension. The Christian life is like distilling water…
4. Effective Communication of the Gospel (compelling evangelism) – Whatever we really see we talk about. A cruise ship in SB Harbor –. There’s Andrew evangelism (inviters and includers) and Phillip evangelism (explain the Bible to those who are seeking)
5. Compassionate Social Concern – We see this in v. 47 enjoying the favor of all the people. Eventually the church moves out into the surrounding community and serves the lost, sick, and marginalized people.

III. CONCLUSION

1. As we move toward a conclusion I’d like to make mention of some overlapping obstacles to renewal. There are (at least) four kinds of deficient ministry that will cause renewal to leak away:
   1. There is an inadequate understanding of basic (or, foundational) biblical theology.
      1. New studies indicate that un-churched unbelievers care more about doctrine than regular churchgoers do.
         • Theologians refer to this as defective or dead orthodoxy
         • Which means talking a lot about God and the gospel without being very serious about it.
      2. Take the long view – don’t just come to church looking for a quick fix, devote yourself afresh to study, get in a home group.
      3. Of particular importance is pursuing an understanding of the distinctions between justification and sanctification:
         • Justification – The one-time act of God reconciling the repentant sinner to Himself.
         • Sanctification – The ongoing activity of God transforming (changing, healing, empowering) us
      4. Most of us base our justification on the current state of our sanctification. For renewal to refresh a person or a church we need to base our sanctification on our justification.
   2. Living in a healthy tension of organization and spontaneity. Some churches over-plan and some churches under-plan. It’s important for church elders to be almost obsessed with the question, “What does God want?” It is also important for church elders to get regular input from staff, ministry leaders, and ministry workers about what the Holy Spirit is saying to the church.
   3. Ongoing pattern of secret or hidden sin by significant people in the church. There are social consequences of our sin. The sins of the leaders are passed on to others (Ex 34:7) creating a hole in the bucket of renewal.
   4. Emotionalism (not emotion) – Where our experience (or the lack thereof) begins to define our theology. Ministry is aimed at stirring up the emotions.
2. Renewal or revival happens when a church faces some major crisis or obstacle with humility (like Acts 1).
   • In response there is then an extraordinary seeking after God in prayer. One 20^th century revival scholar named J. Edwin Orr[4] called it “concerted, united, and sustained prayer.”
   • Then there is a visitation from God. God’s manifest presence comes down and is felt.
   • The reality of God’s presence begins to shine in people’s hearts.

[1] The use of definite articles in v. 42 indicates an emerging pattern of discipleship as the church was born.

[2] Adapted from Tim Keller’s lectures on Revival.

[3] The NIV translation is actually a bit weak here. The NASV employs the phrase “continually devoting” which better reflects the meaning in the original language. The Greek word speaks of a strong and continual persistence, perseverance, and adherence.

[4] See http://www.revival-library.org/catalogues/miscellanies/prayer/orr.html