An Innovation of Christ (Acts 2:36-42)
Gary McManus, 05/01/2022Part of the God's New Year series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
May 1, 2022 Acts 2:36-42
Before we get to the real meat of this message. . .
First of all: answers from the Book of Acts:
The Apostle Peter is addressing a Jewish crowd.
Peter says, “Jesus whom you crucified.”
--Jesus already forgave those of the crowd. (Luke 23:34)
--Here, in Acts, these Jews confess and receive Jesus as Messiah.
--Therefore, they are not Christ killers, are they?
They are forgiven. They are Jesus followers; 3,000 of them.
Luke reminds us that the first churches were Jews,
Jewish members, Jewish followers of Jesus.
But the question is. . 3,000 believers;
WHERE did they meet together?
--They can’t all meet together at the Roman theater.
--They can’t meet together at the local circus.
Answer: they probably didn’t all meet together in one place.
They met in small groups in their homes.
(Romans 16:3-5, Colossians 4:15, Philemon 1:1-2)
Also, Lydia met Paul at a place of prayer but not a building.
(“place of prayer” Acts 16:13, Acts 16:16, see also Luke 11:1)
(Then, Acts 16:40)
--evidence from archaeology
--“synagogue”; a building?
The American House church movement.
During the worst of the Pandemic:
--many people worked from home.
--many still do and will continue to do so
Churches found ways to do church on-line. . .
through live Facebook productions, recorded services, Zoom worship services, Zoom meetings.
Church was going on even without a building. . .
Since the nation has “come back” together, people have come back to worship services together.
But there has not been a corresponding rise in
in-person worship attendance.
The churches lost attendance/attenders.
But there is a lesson here:
--the government did not keep churches from meeting.
The pandemic taught churches how to INNOVATE.
In the middle ages, believers were called to
IMITATE CHRIST. Now, we have to INNOVATE Christ.
DCC does it through the internet.
We are INNOVATING for Jesus.
I’m not claiming that this is better or the best way.
It’s just the WAY THINGS ARE right now.
Pastor is not a good prognosticator. (See May newsletter.) Pastor knows even less about the future of the church in America.
So, let me share what the prognosticators DO say. . .
When we made the Bible available through the internet, we didn’t forget the Bible. But you do have to find it.
Cary Nieuhof is a prognosticator for churches:
1. The potential to gain is still greater than the potential to lose.
“Every time there is a change in history, there’s potential to gain and potential to lose. I believe the potential to gain is greater than the potential to lose.” Why? “Because the church was Jesus’ idea, not ours.”
The predictions of the church’s death are greatly exaggerated.
The reports of the church not meeting during the pandemic were greatly exaggerated.
Captain Obvious: Jesus did not have a church building.
Jesus did not build a physical building for a church.
Jesus had a mission. The Apostles had a mission.
DCC still has a mission
The purpose of DCC is to call people, to invite people, to a relationship with Jesus Christ; to call them to the service and worship of God by the mutual encouragement, support and spiritual development of its individual participants. Building? Where?
The question is: in the 21st century will churches need buildings?
See Titus 2:14, 1 Peter 2:12, Titus 3:8, Titus 3:14; finally Acts 2:42.
Amen.
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