How Committed Are You?

Committed to the Basics: Part 6

If we are going to grow in our faith and if our church families are going to in their impact we have to be people who are committed. First, we must be committed to following the Lord Jesus Christ wherever He might lead us. Second, we must be committed to doing those actions that give strength to our faith. We must be committed to learning God’s word. We must be committed to fellowship with other Christians. We must be committed to the Lord’s Supper as we remember Jesus’ sacrifice. We must be committed to prayer as we turn our lives over to God.

The reason the early church was able to make such an impact is because they were dedicated to these disciplines. Read how Luke describes the early church:

42 They continually devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to times of prayer. 43 A sense of fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together, and they shared everything with one another. 45 They made it their practice to sell their possessions and goods and to distribute the proceeds to anyone who was in need. 46 They had a single purpose and went to the temple every day. They ate at each other's homes and shared their food with glad and humble hearts. 47 They kept praising God and enjoying the good will of all the people. And every day the Lord was adding to them people who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47; ISV)

Because they were dedicated to these basic fundamentals the early church was able to impact the community, the culture, in which they lived. They were able to see God at work which caused them to thank and praise God. Their integrity and compassion brought them the respect of people. The result was that God added to their numbers everyday. Growth was the natural outcome of their commitment.

Here is the question I want to throw out to you today: How committed are you to doing these basic fundamentals of faith? Because each one of them, in one form or another, is part of our regular weekly worship service we can fool ourselves into thinking that our religious obligation equals commitment. I believe we can see out commitment to these disciplines when we make an effort to do them outside of our worship services. By taking the initiative to make them happen we demonstrate our commitment to them.

This is the truth I want you to ponder: When we are committed to doing the basics God will make the difference. Luke tells us that it was the Lord who gave the growth to the early church. This will be true whether we are talking about our local church families or our personal lives. When we live a life of faith, as demonstrated by our commitment to the basic disciplines, God will strengthen and grow our lives and our churches. How committed are you to growing? It is time to get back to the basics.

• Point to Ponder: When we are committed to doing the basics God will make the difference.
• Passage to Remember: Acts 2:42-47
• Question to Consider: What part do the basics of faith play in your life?

Committed to Prayer

Committed to the Basics: Part 5

This series has been devoted to identifying those disciplines that need to be part of our lives: both as individuals and in our church families. Just as an athlete can only reach his or her full potential when they are committed to mastering the basics of their game, we can only reach our potential as Christians and as the Church when we are committed to these basic disciplines.

We have noticed that when the church began in the first century and as they tried to mature new believers and make an impact in their culture they devoted themselves to four different disciplines. We find these disciplines in Acts 2:42: 42 They continually devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to times of prayer (ISV). In this one verse we discover the four disciplines, the basic fundamentals, that the early church was devoted to. They were devoted to learning. It was important for them to know God, His purposes, and His ways. They were devoted to fellowship. Life is tough, and we need each other if we are going to make it through, let alone make an impact. They were also devoted to Communion. The Lord’s Supper is the discipline that Jesus gave us to help keep Him at the center of our faith.

The last action the early church devoted themselves to is prayer. Is it any surprise that from the very beginning the church has been praying? These early followers of Jesus were in a hopeless position. Their leaders were nobodies and uneducated. Many of them were away from their homeland opting to stay in Jerusalem rather than return home. They could not meet the challenges of life, which included providing the basic needs, on their own strength. They were dependent on God’s power.

The same is true today, though I wonder how often we recognize it. In a land were we don’t have to worry about basic necessities do feel dependent on God’s power? When we have studied human behavior and having selling down to an art do we believe that we need God’s wisdom rather than man’s research in order to have a healthy growing church? Prayer is a vital part of the church.

Prayer is also more that connecting to God’s power. Prayer also strengthens our relationship with God. I believe that it is through prayer that we really experience the love of God. This is one of Jesus’ teachings on prayer:

7 “Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened for you. 8 For everyone who keeps asking will receive, and the person who keeps searching will find, and the person who keeps knocking will have the door opened. 9 “There isn't a person among you who would give his son a stone if he asked for bread, is there? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, he wouldn't give him a snake, would he? 11 So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who keep on asking him!” (Matthew 7:7-11; ISV)

Jesus tells us that through the act of praying we experience God’s provision in our lives. Just as a good earthly father provides for the needs of his children, our good Heavenly Father will provide everything that we need for both life and godliness. If we are not praying then we are missing out on experiencing God’s love.

• Point to Ponder: Prayer is a vital part of the church.
• Passage to Remember: Matthew 7:7-11
• Question to Consider: Is prayer vital to your life?

Committed to Communion

Committed to the Basics: Part 4

A great musician first needs to learn the notes and the scales in order to master the music. A great basketball player needs to learn how to dribble, shoot, pass, rebound, and defend before he can master the game. As followers of Jesus we have to learn and be committed to a few basic fundamentals if we are going to be successful at the task Jesus has commissioned us to accomplish (make disciples).

We find these fundamentals in Acts 2:42: They continually devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to times of prayer (ISV). I believe this verse outlines four basic fundamentals that need to be a part of our lives and the lives of our church families. The first discipline is that we have to be committed to learning. If we are not taking the time to learn God’s Word then we will not be able to know how God wants us to live. The second discipline is we need to be committed to fellowship. Life is tough and we are not going to make it through this life with our faith intact without the love, support, and encouragement of other Christians.

The third discipline that the early church was committed to was the Lord’s Supper. I want to admit that there is some debate about what exactly what the breaking of bread means. The common Greek usage means sharing a meal, but the New Testament also using the phrase to mean sharing in the Lord’s Supper. From the context it is very hard to tell what it means because we know that the early Church frequently shared meals together, and that would fit well with the idea of fellowship and having things in common.

The reason I think it is the Lord’s Supper is because I think that sharing meals would fit under fellowship, and therefore be redundant. Also, Gareth Reese in his commentary on the book of Acts (New Testament History: Acts) says that the original Greek would read the breaking of the bread which would point to something specific (given the second the) rather than just regular meals (p. 83). It would also be a very special ritual that would separate them from the Jewish religion that they had just left. The Lord’s Supper would be a constant reminder of Jesus and the New Covenant that His death and resurrection ushered in. In other words Communion helped make Jesus Christ the center of their faith.

One of the reasons that I love the Restoration Movement Churches, the faith heritage I am a part of, is the emphasis that we have put on the Lord’s Supper. This tradition, the only tradition that Jesus asked us to keep, is so vital to keeping us focused on Jesus and what He has done for us. Not only as individuals, but also as a Church Family. When done right Communion should help maintain a sense of fellowship in our church families.

In 1 Corinthians the apostle Paul wrote some guidelines about the Lord’s Supper. This is part of what he wrote:

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26; ISV)

Paul tells us that by participating in Communion we proclaim Jesus’ death. One aspect of this is that we keep the sacrifice of Jesus central. It is a focal point for our lives and our worship. The Lord’s Supper serves as a powerful remainder to the price God paid to have freed from our lives of sin.

• Point to Ponder: Communion helps keep Jesus the center of our faith.
• Passage to Remember: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
• Question to Consider: How important is the Lord’s Supper to your life?

Committed To Each Other

Committed to the Basics: Part 3

One of the reasons the Church was able to grow from a handful of disciples to an unstoppable force of Christians is because of the early church’s dedication to the basics of discipleship. These basics are essential for us as individual Christ Followers as well as for our church families as a whole. We cannot fully become who God created us to be if we are not committed to these basic fundamentals of faith.

We find this basic fundamentals in Acts 2:42: And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (ESV). The example of the early church provides us with four disciplines that need to be part of our lives. The first discipline is that we must be committed to studying. The Bible must be part of our lives, whether it is individual study or learning for Christian teachers, we must have a commitment to God’s Word.

Th second discipline the early church was committed to was fellowship. We in the modern church have a weak understanding of what fellowship means. Fellowship isn’t about dinners and hand shaking. It is about being united in a common love, purpose, faith, and situation.

These first Christians were thrown together. Through the apostle’s teachings they came to understand that they were in this together. They were a family and they needed to help each other. They were the Body of Christ and were on a mission together. They were in a hostile world and needed a safe place. In some ways it was only natural that a strong sense of fellowship emerged. Not only did it come from living out the two great commandments but it came from the difficult situation that they were in.

William Barclay in his commentary on Acts wrote; “The Church is the real Church only when it is a band of brothers” (The Daily Study Bible: The Acts of the Apostles; p. 30). The image of a band of brothers is the image of men who have bonded through the common mission given them during war. A bond that few of us have experienced that have not been in that situation.

It is something similar to that comradeship that we need to have in the Church. We need to be committed to each other. It is about meeting each other’s needs, encouraging one another, helping each other, and teaching one another. We are held together by a common love for God through Jesus Christ and a common purpose for our church family. Without a common purpose, an objective that we can all set our hearts and minds and strength to achieving, then it is impossible to have true fellowship, even if we share that common love for God. Fellowship is the life blood of the Church.

The writer of Hebrews urges us to stick together:

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25; ESV)

Life is tough and in order to make a difference we need the encouragement and love of other people. I am certain you know the importance of Christians relationships in your own life. There are certain people you thank God for because you don’t know if you would have made it if they weren’t there. We need each other!

• Point to Ponder: Fellowship is the life blood of the Church.
• Passage to Remember: Hebrews 10:24-25
• Question to Consider: What relationships do you value most in your life?

Committed to Learning

Committed to the Basics: Part 2

When we find ourselves struggling, in any area of life, it is essential for us to return to the basics. The basics are those fundamentals that have to be done in order to have success. If we ignore these basic fundamentals then we will struggle. This is true in our personal lives as well as the Church.

The only answer to the struggle that the Church finds herself in in our culture is a return to the basics. Acts 2:42 provides us with those basics that the early church were committed to as they grew from a little Jewish sect in Jerusalem to an unstoppable movement that changed the course of history.

Let me set the background. It is the day of Pentecost, fifty days after Passover, and about 10 days after Jesus ascended into heaven. The disciples of Jesus, there are about 120 of them, are in Jerusalem. The apostles, and possibly some other disciples, are in the upper room waiting as Jesus instructed. That morning of Pentecost the Holy Spirit descends on the apostles and they begin to preach to the crowds gathered in the city.

Jerusalem is still full of visitor. They came for Passover and stayed through Pentecost, and so there were Jews from different cultures who spoke different languages. The amazing thing is that the crowd heard about Jesus in their own languages.

The sermon Peter gave about Jesus being the Promised Messiah cut to the heart of many in the crowd and they asked what they needed to do to be saved. Peter told them that in order to receive this gift of salvation they needed to repent, change their allegiance from Judaism to Jesus, and to be baptized (immersed). These actions demonstrate their faith in Jesus Christ and are acts of obedience.

On that day 3,000 people were added to the handful of disciples who had continued to follow Jesus after His death. And this presented the first problem for the Church: how do you move 3,000 people from placing their faith in Jesus to becoming mature followers of Christ? Acts 2:42 tells us what the Church did; They continually devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to times of prayer (ISV). The new Church was committed. They were committed to four actions.

First they were committed to the apostle’s teachings. In other words these New Christians were taught about who Jesus is, how God worked through history to bring about salvation, how Jesus lived His life, and how they were expected to live. There was a need to lay a foundation of truth and then to continue to build on that foundation with reminders, applications, more difficult truths. The apostles, and these new Christians, understood that in order for them to follow Jesus they needed to know the truth of who Jesus is, what He taught, and how He lived.

While we don’t sit directly under the teachings of Peter, John, Andrew, Thomas, Matthew and the rest of the apostles we do have a collection of their teachings known to us as the New Testament. This is the foundation of every other basic essential that needs to be part of our church family. Without this we are not a Church of Jesus Christ we are just club. Being committed to God’s Word, in particular the New Testament, helps us understand how we are to live, what we are to believe, and what God is doing in the world.

The apostle Paul reminded his disciple Timothy:

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and found to be true, because you know from whom you learned it. 15 From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures that are able to give you the wisdom you need for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14-17; ISV)

If we are not committed to God’s Word then we are going to struggle in our lives. Far too often we have replaced God’s wisdom with the wisdom of this world and what is preached in the pulpits across this country is not the Bible, but some form of self-help pop-psychology. We need to return to being people of the Book. May we once again be committed to the teaching of our Lord and His apostles.

• Point to Ponder: We need to return to being people of the Book.
• Passage to Remember: 2 Timothy 3:14-17
• Question to Consider: How are you committed to the apostles’ teachings?

Mastering The Basics

Committed to the Basics: Part 1

Everything in our lives begins with basics. Basics are those fundamentals that we must learn and master before we can grow and have success. School children in kindergarten learn the basics of the Alphabet and Numbers because reading and math are dependent on them. Without mastering of the basics the ABC’s and the 123’s there is no hope that the child will learn to read and write or add and subtract.

The same is true for us as we follow Jesus. If we want to be the type of people, and and thus the Church, that God wants us to be, then we have to commit ourselves to the basics of what it means to follow Jesus. I want you to think about this question: What are the basics you are committed to?

There is a legend about the great football coach Vince Lombardi that dates back to the early sixties when he took over the reigns of the Green Bay Packers. The Packer franchise was struggling—the team had been losing for almost ten straight years. They were on the bottom of the league standings, and team morale was sagging.

Into this dismal situation comes Vince Lombardi, the new coach. He had been given the challenge of turning the franchise around. He was all pumped up and excited about turning the team around, so he began meeting with the team, leading practices, training, motivating, and doing all he could to inspire his players. At one point during a practice he got so frustrated with the players that he blew his whistle and said, “Everybody stop and gather round.” He said, “This isn’t working, either I’m not training you right or you’re not getting it. IN either case, what we’re doing is not working.” Then he knelt down, picked up the pigskin, and said, “Let’s start at the beginning. This is a football.” One guy said, “Slow down, coach, you’re losing me,” But Lombardi persisted with his course of action, saying, “This is a football, and these are yard markers, and that's the goal post, and I’m the coach, and you’re the players.” He went on in the most elementary of ways to explain the basics of football. History tells us that from that point in time the whole direction of the Green Bay Packers turned around.

The moral of the story is that when we are struggling, in whatever area of life it might be, we need to return to the basics to make sure we have those down. We cannot have success in life, and that includes following Jesus, if are not doing the basics.

It is no secret that the Church in the United States is struggling. This struggle can be seen in the decline of weekly church attendance as well as a decline in giving. Most of all It is seen the diminishing impact the Church has on the culture. The Church no longer has a respected place in the hearts and minds of the people of the United States (really the western world).

So what are the basics that we should be focused on? What should our church families look like and what disciplines should define our lives? We find four basic actions in Acts 2:42 that we should expect and be committed to if we are going to live out the potential God has blessed us with. 42 They continually devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to times of prayer (ISV).

If we are going to influence the culture in which we live and make a difference for the Kingdom of God it is going to start by adding these for elementary principles to our lives and church families. WIthout a return to the basic we will continue to struggle as our influence in the culture diminishes.

• Point to Ponder: We cannot have success in life, and that includes following Jesus, if are not doing the basics.
• Passage to Remember: Acts 2:42
• Question to Consider: What are the basics that you are committed to?