What should the Church Look Like?.
(Acts 20: 1-16)
Transcript
What should the church be like? I’m not asking what your church is like, I am asking, what should it be like in general?
I suspect that your answer to that question will depend on the number of things. Many people have an idea what they think churches should be like their experience of the church they grew up in, or sadly for some, definitely not like the church they grew up in.
Many people have been bought to like a type of church that meets on a Sunday and has for instance a certain style of worship music.
But what should the church do? What kind of activities should we participate in? How should it be organised.
Today, we've going through the first 16 verses of Acts chapter 20 and when you first look at it, it sounds nothing more than like a bit of a travelogue. But embedded in it, and implied in it are some things which I believe tells us a lot of what the Church ought to be like…..
Acts Chapter 20 Vs 1.
1 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. 2 He travelled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, 3 where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15 The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.
(Acts 20: 1-16)
It reads a bit like a travelogue, doesn’t it?
This passage maps out the various places Paul travelled, except for the extended period he spent preaching which resulted in a tragic incident where a young man fell asleep and falls out a window and dies, only to be brought back to life by Paul. So, what do we do with this? Well, let’s take a closer look at the examples set before us.
Remember there has been this great commotion in the previous chapter, and Paul decided to leave Ephesus. The opening verse of Chapter 20 now tells us that after the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, encouraged them once more and then left for Macedonia.
As we read through this, we see a deep family like connection existing between believers. It's no accident that Christians are called the family of God. God is our Father, and we call each other brother and sister, reinforcing that familial bond. In some congregations I've preached in, they people would call me Brother Jeremy, underscoring this family concept.
And that is what the church should be like if it’s to model itself as God’s spiritual family? It should emulate a close-knit family.
The first part of the opening verse covers Paul's journey from Ephesus to Greece. Luke doesn't detail what occurred between Ephesus and Greece, but we know from Paul’s letters to the Corinthians that he faced significant challenges along the way.
In 1 and 2 Corinthians, which Paul wrote during this third missionary journey, Paul addresses issues in the Corinthian church. They were a divided church exhibiting much spiritual immaturity and sin, including allowing a man to living in sin with his stepmother. Paul admonished them for not addressing these issues, urging them to grow up and act maturely in Christ. He sent off two letters, deeply concerned about their actions and responce.
In 2 Corinthians 2:12-13, Paul reveals his concern was so profound that he couldn't find peace until he met Titus, who brought good news about the Corinthians’ response to his letter, which greatly comforted Paul.
This passage shows Paul's deep care for the believers, much like any pastor should for his congregation. This is the level of concern should be like that of a family when we know one of our loved ones is struggling and we should feel a strong desire to help.
The church should be a place where members are genuinely concerned for one another.
When Paul finally reaches the region of Greece, we see he encouraged the believers there with his words and teaching. Despite the problems in Corinth, he focused on uplifting the believers around him.
The modern church likewise should be a place of encouragement, where we can come to be supported and to support others.
Hebrews 10:25 says, "Do not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but encouraging one another." This means that our gathering should be a source of encouragement. The church should function as a family where we uplift and strengthen each other, especially during tough times.
During Paul’s three-month stay in Greece, he likely engaged in evangelism and encouragement of the local church there. Many Bible scholars suggest that it was during this time, he also wrote Romans, reflecting on the sins he observed and addressing them in his letter.
Paul’s ministry was multifaceted, encompassing encouragement, teaching, and evangelism. These activities should also characterize our own local based ministries today.
In Romans 12, we are told to be, “Transformed by the renewing of our minds.” This transformation is crucial for the church. We live in a culture where we are constantly conditioned by television and media, which aim to entertain us—even the news must entertain us these days. This environment can numb our minds to deeper thinking.
To be transformed, we must change our thinking, which is essential for spiritual growth. We need to challenge ourselves to think differently, to think from the inside out, so that our behavior can change. Our teaching must go beyond mere entertainment, even in how we approach our collective times of gathering and worship and focus on the deeper things of God.
Returning to Acts, we see that Paul stayed in Greece for three months. When a plot against him was discovered, he decided to leave. Verse 4 mentions several people who accompany him. These men were representatives from various cities in Asia and Macedonia, sent by their churches to deliver an offering to the believers in Jerusalem who were suffering from a famine.
This act of sending representatives with an offering shows the practical love and support within the early church. Today, we might call this a Benevolence Fund, money set aside to help those in need within and outside our congregation. Many churches practices this by setting aside funds to assist those with financial needs.
This opening passage highlights several key aspects of the church as a family. In verse 1, believers are encouraged to embrace one another. In verse 2, Paul encourages them with many words. In verse 3, he provided guidance and teaching by writing letters to churches, like what we today call the books of Corinthians and Romans.
The church should be a family that cares for each other, offers encouragement, and provides teaching as well as practical help in times of need.
Isn’t this a beautiful picture of what the church should be? A place where we can participate in mutual support and encouragement. This kind of involvement is what every believer should strive for.
In Acts 20:7, we also see that on the first day of the week, the disciples came together to break bread. Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued teaching until midnight.
This verse is significant for understanding the practices of the early church.
Firstly, it shows that the early church met on Sunday, the first day of the week. This is important because it clarifies why Christians traditionally worship on Sunday rather than Saturday. When someone questions why we gather to worship on Sunday, you can point to this verse as evidence.
Secondly, the primary reason for their gathering was to break bread, not just to listen to a sermon. The Greek text makes it clear that breaking bread was the main purpose of their meeting. They shared a meal together, much like a family, and within that meal, they observed the Lord's Table.
In modern churches, we have often separated the communal meal from the Lord’s Table, reducing it to a small piece of bread and a sip of grape juice. But in the early church, it was part of a larger love feast, as mentioned in the book of Jude. This fellowship meal was an integral part of their worship and community life. What the church had lost in its attempt to be dignified in its coming together is its sense of family expressed in this gathering together to eat.
But the point is the church should be a place of encouragement, teaching, practical support, and communal fellowship and these early elements reflect the familial nature of the church, where we care for each other deeply and participate actively in each other's lives.
It is important to create a family atmosphere where people could sit down together without distractions. That’s exactly what they did here. Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them. Notice it doesn’t say he preached; he spoke. This word suggests there was a discussion session, and this meeting went on until midnight.
They likely didn’t gather at 11:00 AM or 10:30 AM as we do today. They probably met around 6:00 or 7:00 PM. They shared a meal, then continued their meeting until midnight.
It was definitely late, because verse 8 mentions many lamps in the upper room. The Greek word used indicates torches, not just table lighting which may have consumed a lot of oxygen, which might explain why a young man was sitting in the window on the third floor fell asleep, likely due to a long day of work followed by staying up so late and combined with a low oxygen levels he falls asleep and topples out of the window.
This incident is the first recorded instance of someone falling asleep in church, but it’s not the last. I have both witnessed it and if truth be told done it myself in the past.
People often physically stay awake but mentally drift off during services. This young man, however, literally fell asleep and fell out of the window. Paul went down, and lay on him much like Elijah and Elisha, and revived him. This miracle brought great encouragement to everyone there.
Despite the interruption, Paul continued speaking until daybreak. While I won’t try to match that record, today it’s important to note that they were comforted, embraced one another, encouraged each other, and enlightened one another.
This passage continues to be a microcosm of what the church should be: a community that cares for each other, encourages one another, teaches deep truths, meets practical needs, and provides comfort. The focus is on being concerned, caring, and edifying each other.
We should always strive to create an atmosphere where people feel they can share with one another and build meaningful connections. That’s what the church ought to be and do.
The church should be a place where we can seek advice and comfort from those who are spiritually mature. However, to experience the full benefit of being part of a church, you must be present and willing to open to teaching. You can’t be a Christian on your own.
Today we know that isolation and loneliness is epidemic and it can also negatively impact even physical health.
When people become isolated they can begin to believe, that they are alone because people don’t want to be with them. When people hide their fears behind a mask, they tend to feel even more lonely. If they don’t receive genuine love and respect, they suffer. Even if they do receive love and respect, they often can't enjoy it because they know it can take time to encourage lonely and isolated people.
We can’t over emphasizes the value of being part of a stable community, acting as an extended family, where people truly know you and accept you as you are. I'm not suggesting you stand up in church and share all your secrets, but when you're hurting, seek out someone in the church with spiritual wisdom and share with them. This is part of being in a spiritual family.
If we don't do this, the church isn’t being what it should be because we aren't letting it be what it ought to be.
Some churches stray in their practices simply because they don't follow to the Bible. They follow human ideas instead of God’s Word. If we truly understand and follow the scriptures, we’ll be engaged in the things we've discussed today.
Let's not let the church itself fall into a deep sleep. Let's stay awake, be active, and engaged in doing God’s work the way it is described here and enjoy the blessing together of seeing God at work amongst us.
