SUNDAY, MAY 3, 2020 Read Acts 2:42-47

SUNDAY, MAY 3, 2020

Read Acts 2:42-47 

Here are Preaching Notes for the day.  We will live-stream at 10:30 a.m. this Sunday via Facebook, you can meet in your car in the Church parking lot, and then it will be available after that online - look for the link on Church website.  Communion will also be available, in your car (the elements sealed in bags), as you leave through the designated parking lot exit.

"Unwritten Rules"

Introduction

            Every sport has rules. Most of these rules are codified in a complex document that has been revised and ratified at various times by the teams, owners, clubs, etc. You follow these official rules, and if you don’t, you pay a penalty.

            Many sports, especially professional baseball and golf, have unwritten rules. If you break them, you will not be assessed a foul or penalty because what you did technically conformed to the official rule book. If you are a professional player, however, you know these rules, so breaking them is serious. Baseball's 'unwritten' rules include:

·         Do not bunt to break up a no-hitter.

·         Do not spend your time admiring a home run you hit.

·         Do not steal bases if your team is ahead by a significant amount.

·         Do not try to steal signs while standing in the batter’s box.

·         Do not speak to a pitcher who is in the process of throwing a no-hitter.

·         A pitcher is not to indicate displeasure if one of his fielders commits an error.

            If a player violates an unwritten rule, he probably knows that the next time he steps into the batter’s box, the pitcher on the opposing team will throw a “purpose pitch” (otherwise known as a “brushback pitch” or a bean ball). Thou shalt not break the unwritten rules of baseball! These rules, evolved over time, are meant to establish boundaries for behavior which, if observed, contribute to good sportsmanship. In baseball, the players know that there’s no showboating, no headhunting and no sign stealing.

            Do you suppose there are unwritten rules in the church?  Absolutely. The most important unwritten rule of church is: “Thou shalt not covet nor sit in thy neighbor’s pew,” or should I say, "Parking Spot"? Some other unwritten rules of church life might include: Thou shalt tolerate the Preacher's jokes. And, every potluck shall include... you know what I might say, and it would never be a criticism, but you were already filling in the blanks of the things we have seen at every potluck since dawn of casseroles.

            Sometimes, the unwritten rules of the church are unknown to us. They are rules in place without us being aware of them. Josh Daffern, blogger and pastor (“6 Unwritten Rules of Today’s Church.” Patheos, 8/19/19), suggests that many churches have six unwritten rules. People attending this church shall:

1.      look like us

2.      dress like us

3.      talk like us

4.      vote like us

5.      sin like us (honestly - this way we don't have to say it aloud)

6.      believe like us

If you can’t follow these rules, you might need to find another church.

            OUCH. Surely we are better than that.  Though we might say that every institution has unwritten rules - our Church should not resemble a club or display such bigotry. Today’s text speaks of a different set of unwritten rules that govern our shared life together as the church. And, they were devoted to them... (verse 42 "They devoted themselves to...")

Devoted

            This is what we are talking about today - these things that they were devoted to and did not need to be told to do... the unwritten rules of being a Church that they just obeyed.  They exist...

            The kind of prickly Danish theologian, Soren Kierkegaard, understood this when he wrote: “The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, "we are obliged to act accordingly."

            In Revelation, the church at Laodicia was criticized for its failure to be “devoted” to the degree that the first Christians were devoted. “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16). Strong words, but the readers at the time knew exactly what was being said here.

            Near Laodicia in what is today Pamukkale (ancient Hierapolis) was (and still is) a hot springs where once Cleopatra and Roman troops quartered and refreshed themselves. The water flowed out of this spring at a very hot temperature, but by the time the water reached Laodicia, it was only lukewarm.

            We’ve got to be hot! We need to be devoted.

They Devoted Themselves to the Apostles' TEACHING

            It is an unwritten rule that we as students of the Master -- follow. "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching” (verse 42).  The course outline offered by the early apostolic professors featured the life and teachings of Christ, and the interpretation of the Hebrew scriptures in light of the Messiah who had so recently appeared.

            Serious followers of Jesus want to know all they can know. They’re eager to drink at the fountain of knowledge. They are interested in what the Word has to say. So the study of God’s word is just a given. It’s what we do as followers.

            Granted, studying the Word of God sort of is a rule. We are told to study; we are expected to study. So, perhaps, it is not an unwritten rule so much as a written rule. But, what is interesting is that the early Church did not need to be told. They wanted to study. They had a need for the word of God like a baby needs its mother’s milk.

·         “As newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow unto salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” (1 Peter 2:2-3).

No need to explain to them or try to convince them; they wanted the nourishment of the Word of God.  They were hungry.  It is so easy to be devoted when you are hungry - in fact, when I am hungry it is a huge distraction - it begins to consume and preoccupies my thoughts. What if my desire/hunger for God's Word did the same?!  

            Still, lest the importance of study elude us, the Bible is clear: We need to be in the Word of God.

·         “How can young people keep their way pure? By guarding it according to your Word” (Psalm 119:9).

·         “I treasure your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

·         “This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful” (Joshua 1:8).

            Follow the Master, and his teachers - the Apostles... It's what we do! And being devoted is how we learn.... and there is a lot to learn.

Illustration  (How Different Cultures Read the Bible)

            To help explain the challenges people in the West face reading the Bible, authors E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien refer to a social experiment in "The Forgotten Famine" by Mark Allan Powell. Powell had twelve students in a seminary class read the story of the prodigal son from Luke's Gospel, then close their Bibles and retell the story as faithfully as possible to a partner. None of the twelve American seminary students mentioned the famine in Luke 15:14, which precipitates the son's eventual return. Powell then had one hundred people participate in the same experiment and the results revealed that only six of the one hundred mentioned the famine. The "famine-forgetters," as Powell called them, had only one thing in common: they were from the United States.

            Later Powell tried the experiment in St. Petersburg, Russia. He gathered fifty participants to read and retell the prodigal son story. This time an overwhelming forty-two of the fifty participants mentioned the famine. Why? Just seventy years before, 670,000 people died of starvation after a siege of the capital city began a three-year famine (World War 1). Famine was very much a part of the history and imagination of the Russian participants. (E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien, Misreading Scripture With Western Eyes, IVP, 2012)

            The Russian participants saw the world through a lens that included famine.  We Westerners - not so much.  Studying (the teachings of the Apostles - the Bible) teaches our children, and us a Biblical world view - so that they/we see the world through the eyes of Christ. So that we love our neighbors as ourselves. And can even answer the question posed in Scripture, "Who is my neighbor?" Reading Scripture gives us a lens by which to view all time, history, places, events, all people, nations, and viruses...

Transition: Listen to Ephesians 2:19-22

¹⁹ Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²² And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

We are both "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone" (our devotion listed), and "being built together" (our next devotion from our  passage today).  This was true of the early Church of Acts, the later Church of Ephesus, and still true of our "as of late" Church.

They Devoted Themselves to FELLOWSHIP

42"They devoted themselves to the

apostles' teaching and to the fellowship..."

            It doesn’t say that they devoted themselves to “the fellowship;” rather, they devoted themselves "to fellowship.”  In this instance it is not a reference to being devoted to a group or a cause - but they were devoted to an ACTION. The word we translate “fellowship” is the Greek word koinonia.

            When we hear “fellowship,” what do we think of? Cookies and coffee before Church... on a normal Sunday? Hey, nothing wrong with cookies and coffee, but koinonia, Biblical fellowship, runs a lot deeper than that.  This is the first time this word appears in the Bible.  The root Greek word of koinonia is the word koinonos, which means: a sharer, a companion, one who is a partaker, a partner with others. They were devoted to building, fostering, growing increasing their fellowship - and because of that they took action!

            Koinonia refers to having things in common, sharing in the common things. It starts with what we all have in common as Christians. We all believe in one true God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  In Ephesians 4:1-6, Paul talks about what we have as the Body of Christ.

 ¹ "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

The active, action filled, sharing in the common things is what makes us a koinonia, a fellowship.

Illustration (the nature of true fellowship)

In (the movie) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), a hobbit, is given the unenviable task of destroying a ring in The Cracks of Doom in a dark and evil land called Mordor. His task is fraught with mortal danger.

Gandalf, the wizard, understands such a perilous journey could cause anyone to become discouraged. Gandalf encourages Frodo's best friend, Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), to accompany Frodo on the trip. In fact, Gandalf makes Samwise promise he will never leave Frodo. Several other brave individuals accompany Frodo as well. These nine travelers become the "Fellowship of the Ring."

Well into the journey, the lives of those in the Fellowship have been endangered on multiple occasions. Concerned for the safety of his friends, Frodo makes a private and noble decision to slip away from his friends and make the remainder of the journey on his own. Frodo steps into a boat and quietly pushes away from the shore.

Suddenly, the branches on the sloping hill above the shore begin to snap and give way to a tiny hobbit warrior. Samwise Gamgee crashes through the branches and onto the shore shouting, "Frodo! Mr. Frodo!"

Frodo yells back, "Go back, Sam! I'm going to Mordor alone!"

Sam is not deterred. He continues toward Frodo, splashing into the river up to his waist. "Of course you are, and I'm coming with you!"

"You can't swim!" Frodo shouts. "Sam! Sam!"

Sam tries desperately to swim out to the boat. Frodo watches as Sam begins to sink beneath the murky surface of the river.

Frodo reaches down and grabs Sam's wrist, pulling him up and into the boat. Frodo looks at Sam as if to say, "Why? Why would you risk your life attempting to swim out to me?"

A soaking wet Sam sees the question in Frodo's eyes and says, "I made a promise, Mr. Frodo. A promise. 'Don't you leave him, Samwise Gamgee.' And I don't mean to. I don't mean to."

Frodo embraces Sam. "Come on," he smiles.

            That common life and fellowship shows itself in how we care for one another. Love–love for our brothers and sisters in the family, expressed in helpful, practical ways. When some of us are hurting, we’re all hurting. When some of us rejoice, we all rejoice. When we see a brother or sister in the family in need, we act to meet that need.  That sharing in Spiritual things together extended to the joyful and literal sharing of material things together as well.

They Devoted Themselves to SHARING

44All the believers were together and

had everything in common.

45Selling their possessions and goods,

they gave to anyone as he had need.

46Every day they continued to meet

together in the temple courts. They

broke bread in their homes and ate

together with glad and sincere hearts,

47praising God and enjoying the favor of

all the people.

            Today’s reading is part of the account of the reaction of a group of “devout Jews” (Acts 2:5) to one of the first Christian sermons. The sermon (Acts 2:14-36) was delivered by Peter on the occasion of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit upon a group of Jesus’ followers and bystanders (Acts 2:1-13). Today’s passage describes, in part, the aftermath of that momentous event. Today’s lesson is a description — the first of several in Acts — of one of the earliest Christian communities.  These are changed lives living in changed way.

            The reaction to this apparently incontrovertible proof of Jesus’ identity as “both Lord and Messiah” (Acts 2:36) is that those who heard it were “cut to the heart” (acts 2:37) and sought guidance from the apostles, and the best practices. Peter responds that the bystanders need to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, and then they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).

            Something truly amazing happens and the Church is born.  Coming into fellowship with God brings us into fellowship with each other. Being devoted to God births  devotion to each other... this is the Lord's will, and is what is so winsome about the Body of Christ, the Church. This kind of fellowship and sharing.

Illustration (Craig Barnes, “The post-anxiety church,” The Christian Century, January 29, 2016)

            When I speak at denominational gatherings, pastors often ask me to say something about the future of the church. The subtext of their invitations is, “If you have any ideas for survival, let us know.” The future of the church is a question that makes it way deep into my bones. I worry, too. But the church has never looked less attractive than when it dresses in anxiety. Historically, that’s when we’ve made our worst mistakes...

            Little good comes from getting fixated on the empty pews. The ... church has to stop fretting about its future. The anxiety takes up the air and leaves the church too lethargic to offer anything to the world. The alternative response is for the church to do what it’s always done at its best, what it did from the beginning: stop thinking about its future and sacrifice itself to its mission.

            When I was working my way through a graduate program in the history of Christianity, I became convinced that there is no rational explanation for the church’s survival over the past 2,000 years — there were many compelling political, intellectual and social reasons for it to have gone out of business long ago. And none of those threats were ever as dangerous to the church as it was to itself. We’ve always been our own worst enemy when we fail to live out of the gospel we proclaim. But still the church perseveres.

            The only possible explanation for the church’s survival is that Jesus Christ chose to use it to continue his mission of bringing the kingdom of God to earth.

            This is the picture we get in Acts 2.  They lacked for nothing when they were continuing Christ's mission.

            So... Unwritten rules. This is an important discussion because we all know what happens when unwritten rules are broken. It’s not pretty. Benches clear. Dugouts empty. Fists and punches are thrown. Bats fly. Players can actually get ejected from the game! All because some unwritten rule — like brushing back the pitcher who’s up to bat — is broken.

            Instead of stating it in the negative - breaking unwritten rules - let's state it positively: Living by the rules - more specifically, living as Christ would have us live - bears so much fruit! 

...They broke bread in their homes and ate

together with glad and sincere hearts,

47praising God and enjoying the favor of

all the people. And the Lord added to

their number daily those who were being saved.

Oh how God can work through such a Church!

Finally, take note

They Devoted Themselves to the BREAKING OF BREAD

42They devoted themselves to the

apostles' teaching and to the fellowship,

to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

            A few years/centuries later, the church squabbled over many things regarding the Breaking of Bread - which is most assuredly a reference to the Lord's Supper.  Let's say that something got lost over time and they were devoted to something else... and that somethign else, anything else, makes us that much more not the Church God calls us to be.  Someone has said that the four most disputed words in the entire history of the church are "This is my Body." Historically that little clip of four words has engendered massive arguments. How is it the Body of Christ? and how literally is it the Body of Christ? and how exactly is God present? Transubstantiation?  Consubstantiation? Catholic? Protestant? Or protestant?

Right up front - the Lord's Supper rightfully serves as a center and symbol of Christian unity.

            1 Corinthians 11 - which we use so often use for our Words of Institution ("On  the night in which the Lord Jesus was betrayed..." the words spoken during all communion services) and hold dear as our understanding of what Communion means... Paul has to say out loud and make explicit an unwritten rule. And he is disgusted that he needs to do this...

            Verse 20 (of 1 Corinthians 11), "When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat." No sirree. You're enjoying your caviar. "As you eat, each one of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry and another gets drunk." Now you come to the part of the service where you actually have the Lord's Supper. Where is the unity in all of this? "Don't you have homes to eat and drink in?" The Lord's Supper isn't primarily about satisfying your physical needs. "You despise the church of God and humiliate those people who have nothing." Paul is blistering. "What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not."

            He comes to this again in verse 33, "So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment." In other words, he gets rid of all this " table fellowship " if all it's going to do is generate more animosity and resentment and bitterness and feelings of superiority and inferiority and inclusion and exclusion. This rite that is supposed to be a center point of Christian unity has become the focal point for division. (D. A. Carson)

            They were breaking some unwritten rules that undermined the whole affair. Their mind and devotion was on food, or themselves, at the expense of fellowship with God and each other. The Lord's Supper, the Breaking of the Bread in this case - is all about Sacramental fellowship - regardless of how any denomination wants to view it.  Just like baptism is not about how much water is used, so Communion is way more real than even the taste and smell and elements, bread and wine. Hear 1 Corinthians 10:16 (which contains our new word, Koinonia)...

¹⁶ Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation/koinonia in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation/koinonia in the body of Christ?

What is meant in the context is that the cup of thanksgiving, the rite itself constitutes a fellowship of Christ, a fellowship of the blood of Christ, a fellowship of the Body of Christ.  Koinonia with each other and with Christ.  The Lord's Supper serves as a center as well as a symbol of Christian unity.

Conclusion: Verse 43

            In one of the "eatingest" congregations... if we talk about being FULL - and you might think of full of Jessie's Shepherd Pie, or Mag's smoked Salmon, Joe's Pasole, Darla's Jean Bars, Joy's bread, Irene's cake, Hank's Split Pea Soup, Sheri's chocolate truffles, anything Mary Lynn or Beverly make... it is a long list -like I said, eatingest congregations (I love it)...  That early Church was FULL...

43Everyone was filled with awe, and

many wonders and miraculous signs

were done by the apostles.

Their needs were met.  They were full.  And I dare say that not all  their needs were food related. 

Illustration (Ronnie Floyd, Our Last Great Hope, Thomas Nelson, 2011, pp. 167-169)

            There was a man named Jeremiah Lanphier who lived in New York City during the 1850s. Those were years of tension, when the shadow of war loomed over America. There were strikes, depressions, tailing banks, long jobless lines, and an air of simmering violence. In this setting, Lanphier accepted a calling as a full-time city evangelist. He walked the streets, knocked on doors, put up posters, and prayed constantly—all to no visible result.

            As his discouragement increased, Lanphier looked for some kind of new idea, some possibility for breakthrough. New York was a business town; maybe the men would come to a luncheon. So he nailed up his signs, calling for a noon lunch in the Old Dutch Church on Fulton Street. When the hour came, he sat and waited until finally a single visitor arrived. Several minutes later, a couple of stragglers peeked through the door. The handful of them had a nice meal.

            Lanphier gave his idea another go on the following week. Twenty men attended; at least it was a start. But then forty came on the third week. The men were getting to know each other by this time, and one of them suggested he'd be willing to come for food and prayer every day. Lanphier thought that was a good sign, and he ramped up his efforts for a daily meal and prayer time.

            Before long, the building was overflowing. The luncheon had to move again and again, so high was the demand. The most intriguing element of the "Fulton Street Revival," as they called the phenomenon, was the ripple effect. Offices began closing for prayer at noon …. Fulton Street was the talk of the town, with men telegraphing prayer news back and forth between New York City and other cities—yes, other cities had started their own franchises; other godly meetings were launching in New York.

            The center of the meeting was prayer, and it was okay to come late or leave early, as needed …. Men stood and shared testimonies. [This was not] a place for the well-known preachers of the day—this was about the working class, businessmen who wanted to share the things of God.

            Some historians went so far as to refer to the Fulton Street Revival as the Third Great Awakening, because it lasted for two years and saw as many as one million decisions for Christ. Given the influence of New York City, no one could estimate the national and international impact that spread out from Jeremiah Lanphier's simple lunch break FELLOWSHIPS.

What does a Spirit-filled church look like? What evidence did that first century Church give of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in its midst? Almost like bring two loaves of bread and a few fish to Jesus - the 5,000 had their fill.

"And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."