What’s Missing the Modern Church. (Acts 2: 40-47)

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Welcome:

The Bible can be a challenging read, and every time I dive into its pages, I’m confronted with truths that disturb and inspire me. Yesterday's passage left me particularly unsettled, and I want to revisit it today to explore what's truly missing in our churches today.

Episode Notes: What's Missing in the Modern Church (Acts 2:47)

In this episode, we delve into Acts 2:47 and examine the early church's characteristics that contributed to its vibrant community and growth. Here are some key points we’ll cover:

1. Background of Acts:
   • The book begins with the Great Commission where Jesus commands His disciples to make disciples, baptize believers, and teach them.
2. Early Church Practices:
   • The apostles preached, baptized, and taught, but they also formed a tight-knit community. They devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer.
3. Disturbing Reality:
   • The early church was deeply committed to each other, constantly in contact, and praised God together. Despite these efforts, what’s troubling is the gap between these practices and what we see in churches today.
4. The Missing Link:
   • What’s missing? Prayer. Acts 2:42 highlights the importance of steadfast prayer in the early church, a practice that seems diminished in modern congregations.
5. Examples of Powerful Prayer:
   • In Acts 4, we see the apostles praying for boldness and witnessing God’s powerful response. Paul in Colossians 4:3 requests prayer for opportunities to preach the gospel.
6. Application for Today:
   • To truly see God’s blessing, we must prioritize prayer, seeking opportunities for evangelism and asking for God’s guidance and power in our ministries.

Practical Steps

• Evaluate Your Church: Are we devoted to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and especially prayer?
• Commit to Prayer: Make prayer a central part of your life and church activities.
• Seek God’s Blessing: Pray for God’s intervention in your personal life and church community, asking for opportunities to witness and grow.

Transcript

What’s Missing the Modern Church. (Acts 2:47)

Transcript:

The Bible is a disturbing book; every time I read it; I experience that feeling. In fact, I experienced it especially when reading the text, we looked at yesterday.

With that in mind, I wish to re-read it and so my plan is to turn again back to part of the passage we looked at yesterday and I want to show you what disturbed me in this passage.

Let's begin reading with verse 40: 

With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer

 (Acts 2: 41-42)

To explain what's going on here, I need to give you a bit of background. 

This book of Acts actually begins with the Great Commission. After Jesus was crucified and rose again, He appeared to the disciples and, on five different occasions, gave what we commonly refer to as the Great Commission. 

This is found 5 times in the New Testament, in all the gospel accounts, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and in the first chapter of Acts. Although the words vary slightly, if you put them all together, you’ll see that the one overriding command is to make disciples.

That’s the background to what’s happening in Acts chapter 2 is what Jesus commanded the disciples before He ascended.

The second thing he was told to do was to baptize those who believed. And the third thing is that they were to teach them. Sure enough, verse 42 says, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine," which simply means they continued steadfastly in what the apostles were teaching.

So, in the Great Commission, He told them to preach the gospel, baptize, and teach. As the church came into existence, they did exactly what the Lord commanded: they preached the gospel, baptized, and taught. What's so disturbing about that? Absolutely nothing.

But there's something else here. Luke records what they did, which was exactly what they were told to do, but he goes a step further. Luke shows that the newborn church not only preached the gospel, baptized, and taught, but also formed a community. They fellowshipped together, ate together, observed the Lord’s table together, and prayed together.

In yesterdays episode I looked at all of this and concluded that a New Testament church is a community of baptized believers who have committed themselves to personal growth, continued in their faith and were committed to each other and to the Lord. 

It seems to me that you could summarize all of this by saying that this community, which we call a church, did what the Lord commanded them to do but this also includes being committed to personal growth, each other, and the Lord.

You might ask, "What do I find disturbing about that?" The answer is: absolutely nothing. I'm simply suggesting that this ought to be the test we give ourselves to see if we are doing what the Lord told us to do. 

Let me say it another way: The tendency today is to judge ourselves by comparing ourselves to others. We do this individually and as churches. We see what other churches are doing and think we should compare ourselves to them. But Paul warns against comparing yourselves to others. We need to judge ourselves based on what the bible says we should de.

So, I look at this list and say, "Yes, I’m  doing that." However, I would also say that we could probably do it a little better. Doing it, and doing it better, are two different things. 

So, maybe we should ask ourselves: Could we do better at these four things? Actually, there are more than four. Could we do better at preaching the gospel, bringing people into the community of faith, teaching people and fellowship, as well as 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 favour of all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

(Acts 2: 43-47)

Can we do better? Of course. You might ask, “Is that what disturbs you?” No, not exactly. That’s not the issue. What disturbs me? Well, look at the closing verse. Here’s what bothers me: “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

Here’s what troubles me,  I believe this is what the church should be doing; yet that is not what we are seeing, not in the UK anyway. So, I started scratching my head and asking myself: What’s missing? What did they do that we’re not doing? What is it that they had, but we don’t?

What I’m looking for is the link between verse 42 and verse 47 and it is what’s missing that bothers me? 

Look at what happens between verses 42 and 47. For example they sold their possessions and goods and divided them among everyone who had a need. Wow! They were really committed to each other, remember this is not to random people in the street this is people who are part of the Christian community.

So they’re really committed, could we do more of that better could that be the missing link? Yes maybe but that’s not what is bothering me.

Not only were they really committed, but they were in constant contact with each other. Now, to be fair, I realize that they lived in smaller communities, and they probably bumped into each other when they went to the market or at other everyday events. The situation made it easier for them to have more frequent contact. But look at what it says they did: “46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts daily.” 

That would be practically impossible for most people today but it seems they were in each other’s homes regularly, perhaps even for the Lord's Supper.

My point is this: They had constant contact. Could we do better today? Could we have more contact with one another? Maybe that’s part of the missing link, well yes, but that’s not what’s bothering me.

Look at verse 46 again: “They ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God.” Verse 47 says: “47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people.” Wow. Could we do better with that? Maybe we need to start a campaign to replace complaining with praising. 

But you know what? That’s still not what’s bothering me. What I mean is, it the fact that is says, “And the Lord added to them daily those who were being saved.” And I want to ask you: Do you want God’s blessing on your life? Do you want God to really bless this church? What would that look like?

What would it look like if God truly blessed this church?

You know, the measure that’s often used for evaluating a church is growth. And it sounds like that’s where I’m headed, right? Well, I do think that we all need to be involved in evangelism. 

I believe we need to be doing that. But here’s my point: I think churches have personalities, and each one is different—just like individuals have personalities. I believe God has given different ministries to different churches.

My point is that God works differently in individual lives and in individual churches. Not every church is exactly alike. So, I don’t want to lay out a formula that says, “Here’s what I want my church needs to do.” That may not be the ministry God has given you church, at least not right now. 

But here’s what I’m saying: the Lord blessed that church, and as a result, the church was blessed with numerical growth daily. I don’t know of many churches that can meet that standard today. I don’t know of some churches where people are being saved daily. 

But here’s what I want: I want God to choose the blessing. I want us all to be able to say, “God did that thing among us”.

So, how do we get there? How do we increase God’s blessing?

I want to suggest that the missing link in this passage—between what we do in church and God’s blessing on the church—is prayer. 

Let me explain.

I think the missing link is right there in verse 42. It says, “They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, in breaking bread, and in prayers.” What’s missing in a lot of churches these days is prayer.

Do we have sound doctrine your church, good. Do you have sound teaching? Do we fellowship with one another? Do we break bread, and celebrate the Lord's Supper together? But prayer—can we improve in that area?

I think if there’s one area where many churches could really improve, and it’s in prayer. I really do. And I think that’s true of virtually every church I’ve ever been to. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a church where I didn’t think they could improve in prayer. 

The missing link between what we do as a church and God’s blessing on the church begins with prayer.

I’m not suggesting that other things aren’t involved, because they are. But I am suggesting that the key to really seeing God bless any church starts with prayer. 

It might sound like I’m squeezing this passage to preach about prayer, but I want to show you a couple more passages to prove that this is what’s happening. 

Turn with me to Acts chapter 4. We're going to cover this more as we go through this book but let me just share a brief story.

Peter and John went up to the temple, preached the gospel, and ended up being arrested. To make a long story short, they were commanded not to preach or teach in the name of Jesus. But they responded, “What are we supposed to do? Should we obey man or God?” 

So, they returned to their people, and when they did, here’s what they prayed:

In Acts 4:24, it says.

 “When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:

“‘Why do the nations rage

and the peoples plot in vain?

26 The kings of the earth rise up

and the rulers band together

against the Lord

and against his anointed one.

They continue their prayer, asking for boldness in preaching the Word and for God to stretch out His hand to heal, and to perform signs and wonders in the name of Jesus. And here’s what happened:

31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all.

(Acts 4:31-33)

How did they get that? There’s no question—they prayed, and they received God’s blessing. And I’m simply suggesting that the difference between just doing what churches do, and really seeing God’s blessing, begins with prayer.

One of my favourite quotes, which I’ve saved in my is from A.C. Dixon. He said, 

“When we rely on organization, we get what organization can do. When we rely on education, we get what education can do. When we rely on eloquence, we get what eloquence can do. Nor do I undervalue any of these things in their proper place. But when we rely on prayer, we get what God can do.”

One more passage. Turn to Colossians 4:3. This one really intrigues me. In fact, it’s something I’ve tried to practice myself.  The apostle Paul says, 

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

(Colossians 4:3-4)

This is an incredible prayer request. I don’t know how many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of prayer requests I’ve heard in my life. I don’t know how many times I’ve asked for prayer or been in meetings where requests were made. But I’ve never heard anyone ask for this prayer: “Lord, open the door so I can preach the gospel.”

Paul said here, “I want you to pray that the Lord gives me an opportunity for evangelism.” Now, that’s a surprise. Let me put the shock in perspective. Look at verse 3 again. He’s still saying, “Pray that the Lord would give me the opportunity, and then pray that I would have the courage and clarity to speak when the opportunity comes.”

Paul is asking for prayer that he would do what he knew he was supposed to do. Think about it: here’s the apostle Paul, who planted churches all over the ancient world, and yet he’s asking for prayer for boldness and wisdom in preaching the gospel. He’s asking for prayer that he would take advantage of every opportunity the Lord gives him.

This is a prayer that I’ve used in my own life. Whenever I’m in a situation where I think someone may not know the Lord, I pray silently, “Lord, give me the door.” And then I pray, “Give me the sentence to speak when the door opens.”

The point is: we need to pray for opportunities like that. I think we should pray. I don’t think we should put God in a box. I think we should pray and ask, “Lord, bless me and bless my church community in this way. Is that too much to ask? Can we just pray and ask God to use us?” Wouldn’t that be exciting?

What are the mountains in your life? What are the unmovable things that you think could never be changed? What in your world desperately needs God to intervene in a mountain-moving fashion? Pray, it’s not a formula; it’s an exercise in faith that can change your life. 

There’s no bargaining with God involved in real prayer. There’s no deal whereby we pray for whatever we want, and He’ll give it to us. But if you want to embark on a faith journey, let me offer you some suggestions:

Pray to move a mountain that God would be pleased to move for you because it is on His heart as well.

When you pray, make it plain that you want that mountain to move. Don’t tell God how to move the mountain.

Make sure the mountain you pray to move is not a molehill. Pray for something big.

When you pray for the mountain to move, don’t be surprised if the mountain that actually moves turns out to be a different one.

C.S. Lewis once said, "Prayer doesn’t change God, it changes me."

We’re not dictating what the Lord is going to do; we’re just going to lay our lives and  our churches before the Lord and say, "Lord, do whatever You want to do. 

I have a whole bunch of things I’d like to see happen, and at the top of the list would be seeing people come to Christ. But I’m not suggesting we do anything other than say, "Lord, bless us."