Sermon Archives
How the Church Works
Acts 1:1-11How the Church Works
J. Josh Smith
January 18, 2015
Description:
Following Peter’s famous confession in Matthew 16 that Jesus was the Christ, Jesus made the following statement, “on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Two truths can be seen in this statement: (1) The church belongs to Jesus, not to the pastors, the people, or anybody else, and (2) hell is no match for the church. We see this come to fruition in the book of Acts. It seems that the harder Satan tries to destroy the church through persecution and political oppression, the faster it grows. What we also see in the book of Acts, however, is that the greatest danger to the work of the church is not Caesar or Saul, it is the church itself. Satan has learned that while he will never ultimately destroy the church of Jesus Christ on a universal level, he can greatly hinder the effectiveness of specific local churches by creating internal conflict and misconceptions about ministry. Satan attacks the church internally because he knows that when a church doesn’t work properly, it doesn’t do the work Christ has commanded effectively. What do we take away from these observations? While we do not need to fear hostile individuals, groups, or governments as a church, we better make sure we understand how the church works. Through the end of February, this is the exact question we better answer: How does the church work?
The book of Acts is the second volume of a two-part work written by Luke. Acts 1:1 tells us that in his first volume, The Gospel of Luke, Luke told us about everything Jesus began to do while one earth. Luke wants to make sure we are certain about two realities: Jesus has ascended and therefore is no longer physically on earth, and Jesus’ work on earth continues even until this day. The implication of Acts 1:1 is that while we see the work Jesus began in the Gospel account, we will see the work He continues in the book of Acts. When Jesus ascended, He left three things: His church, His mission, and His Spirit. From these three things we see exactly how the church is supposed to continue the work of Christ. In fact, these things show us the only way the church works: The church only works when the people of Christ, do the work of Christ, by the power of Christ. Unless ever member of a church is filled with the Spirit of God and engaged in the work of Christ, the church simply will not work.
A proper understanding of how the church works exposes some misconceptions that are common, to some degree, in most churches today. The idea that the work of the church is done by the pastors or even a select few in the church is false. The church is a body that needs all its members to function in order to work properly. Pastors are given to equip the saints to do the work, and every saint has a role to play. There are no insignificant members of the church. The idea that the work of the church is done only inside the church and only for the church is also false. The work of the church is the same as the work of Christ, which was to lead people to trust and follow Him. Sundays do not mark the totality of what the church does. In fact, there is a real sense in which the work of the church does not even begin until we leave the church building on Sunday mornings.
The church working properly begins with you. Which of these misconceptions do you struggle with the most? Ask yourself this question right now: What is God calling me to do that I’ve been waiting on the pastors to do? As God brings things to your mind, don’t wait on a Sunday program that may address what God has put on your heart. As a member of the church who is filled with the Spirit, begin doing the work of Christ today. Our community desperately needs a church that works. Why not us? We can be that church but only if we, as the people of Christ, do the work of Christ, by the power of Christ. The stakes are too high to ignore this reality: MBBC must work.
Keywords:
Discipleship, Evangelism, Fellowship, Great Commission, Worship