Disciples ACTingOUT: Resurrection People

May 15, 2011                                                  4th Sunday of Eastertide

Acts 2:42-47, Psalm 23, 1 Peter 2: 19-25, John 10: 1-10

Disciples ActingOUT: Resurrection People (3rd in series)

               Over the last two weeks we have been looking into the sequel to the gospel of Luke, the book of Acts. Acts chronicles the activities of the early church, and details the actions of the disciples as they took the gospel OUT into the world. We can safely say that if it had not been for them and their dedication to Jesus and spreading the good news of the resurrection, then you and I would not be here today.

               But they did ActOUT and so here we are, living in the faith and in the grace of forgiveness, and salvation. Because they ActedOUT, we are obligated to continue to ActOUT, to be disciples who are just as dedicated to our Lord Jesus, and to sharing the good news as they were.

               Today's theme is discipleship, or in other words the lifestyle of resurrection people. In our text today from the last part of chapter 2 of Acts, we get a glimpse into the first days and months of new and fledging church of Jesus Christ. The text reveals how the charter members of the church of Jerusalem lived, and how they acted. In it we find clues into what it means to be a vital congregation.

               The UMC has a new term these days for churches they consider to be carrying out the mission of the church, which is as follows:  “The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Local churches provide the most significant arena through which disciple-making occurs."[1] The word used to describe these kinds of churches is "vital" and it is the UMC's buzz word for a thriving, disciple-making church in 2011.

               I consider the church at Jerusalem a vital congregation, not only because it was the first one, and not just that it was made up of many who had met and seen Jesus himself, but also because it was making disciples daily (v. 47) and it began to transform the world immediately (v.45).

               There are four "hallmarks" that show up in the text that demonstrated that this particular church was a vital congretation: First, the people were devoting themselves to the apostle's teachings. Second, they were in fellowship together. Third they were breaking bread together, and fourth, they were devoting themselves to prayer. Today these activities are translated into Bible study, church attendance, communion together at the Lord's supper and prayer.

               Many people point to the early church's focus on common living as another hallmark. Whereas some scholarship has pointed to "having all things in common" as communal trait of the church, it was not the eventual model. The selling of property and developing a common pool of resources was a way to provide for everyone who had a need. 

               Persons who had much sold their extra land, property, goods, etc. in order to help those who did not have enough. Such generosity of spirit and life was not a command, but it was a response to the call of God to transform the world around them by doing something that today we would call economic justice. Churches today continue that practice, not by mandate but by the call of God for the transformation of the world.

               Let's look a little closer at the four characteristics of the First Church of Jerusalem. One: Devotion to the teachings of the apostles...Bible study. Gary Hansen says that "A mark of the authenticity and health of a church is what it does with the writings of those early Christian leaders."[2] The translation we read, the commentaries we use, nor the way we go about studying the Bible is not in question, but only that we are "in the Word."

               It is a sad fact today that many Christians' only contact with the Bible is when they hear it read in church. A vast majority of persons do not take advantage of the what they have been given. This past summer in one of my doctoral courses, called Reading: A Discipline of Spirit, we studied the development of reading, looked at ancient texts, and learned how the Church, because it wanted to spread the gospel and improve the lives of individuals, literally changed the face of history. It was through the development of books, called codexes, that the Bible became available to the regular person, who had to then learn to read.

               We are so very blessed to 1) be able to read or listen to the Bible, and 2) that the Bible is available freely to all of us. Yet are we in the word like God would have us to be? We do have busy lives, and these days it is hard to have time to study the Bible. Yet the earliest Christians took great parts of their days to devote themselves to the apostles' teachings. It was what they needed to build their faith, and to know who they were as the people of God.

               If you can, just do it: read your Bible. If you can't sit down to read, then listen to the Bible, on the web, on CD's, on your Ipod. One good place to get connected to the study of the Word is Sunday school class. If there aren't any you like, then I'll help you build one yourself.  Remember that Bible study can happen anywhere, during lunch, at someone's home, anywhere really. To be a vital Christian involves Bible study.

               The First Church of Jerusalem also devoted themselves to fellowship. Fellowship was being together. They came together every day to practice their faith at the temple. Today we come together at least once a week to study the Bible, to talk, hug, sing, praise God; we have church. The early church was constantly together and enjoyed the goodwill of all the people.

               Last Sunday I saw the same kind of thing happening here. In the parking lot of the church, as people exited, they clustered together, talking, smiling, and hugging necks. The same things happen when we are together anytime, and it because of the love of God within us which overflows to one another; love that we gladly demonstrate between us.

               The extension of that fellowship out into the world will draw people to God. God uses us to transform the world by the love we show to one another and to strangers. A vital church continually...continually...seeks ways to connect with the unchurched. Why? Because that is our mission!

               The next hallmark of this first Christian church was its commitment to table fellowship. Jesus had given them a place where they could come together and partake of a sacred meal, where they remembered all that he had done. The sacrament of the Lord's Supper is the place where we do the same thing, coming together and sharing together in the presence of the risen Lord in the bread and the juice. Jesus said of the meal, do this...in remembrance of me.

               Many things happen when we partake in the sacrament of the Lord's supper. We re-enact the story of what Jesus has done for us and all of the world. We grow closer to God through the presence of Jesus at the table. It is a place to renew ourselves once again. It is a mysterious work of God that is of no small consequence. It inspires awe, the same kind of awe that the earliest followers of Jesus had and were motivated by. No wonder John Wesley encouraged all Christians to participate in the Lord's Supper as often as we can.

               Prayer was the fourth hallmark of the 1st church Jerusalem. Prayer was an important part of every Jewish person's life. The first words Jesus probably learned as a child were the words of the Shema, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is one, the Lord alone" (Det 6:4). Indeed, the scripture had many prayers which were learned by heart and recited. In the ancient world the synagogue was known distinctively as a "house of prayer." You might remember the story of Jesus' reaction to the temple being used as a marketplace, when he went in, threw over the tables and said, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers" (Mat 21:13).

               In the new Kingdom, the followers prayers had taken on a wider significance. These new Christians were learning how to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit. What Jesus had done through the resurrection was to bring God's kingdom to earth. Because of that, the prayers spoken by every individual was spoken, as it were, into the ear of God.

               During the last months we have been having a time of prayer on Wednesday evenings. I recently named it Prayer Window. That is the idea of prayer. Through the Holy Spirit within us have direct access to God. It's like opening a window into heaven...or as I like to call it...into the God space.

               Think about this for a moment. When you pray, in Jesus name, you are actually with God. How would our prayers change if we can truly understand that. Would we pray with more boldness? Would we pray with more humility? Would we pray more often. Would we be awestruck? Yes. I believe so.

               I sorry to report that not many people take advantage of the time of prayer we share on Wednesdays. There are a few persons who come, but not as many as I believe God would like to see. Ask yourself earnestly, how often do I speak to God? How can I be more faithful to my prayers? How will Jesus know that I do love him and want to follow him if I never speak to him? All good questions to ask of ourselves...because we all fall a little short in this category of discipleship I believe.

 

               How do I end a sermon like this? One that is all about being a disciple of Jesus and living in the power of the Holy Spirit as a resurrection person. How has God spoken to you?...

 

©2011 Judy H. Eurey