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Introduction:
At times, we may view the early Christians through
rose-colored glasses. Because
we speak so highly of the Biblical pattern, we may forget that it
is actually revealed to us through the difficulties and struggles
that the early Christians and early churches had keeping the
faith. The New
Testament picture of the early church is not a picture of heaven
on earth. It is a
picture of people struggling with one another and with themselves
grappling over who and what they were supposed to be.
Recognizing this, we find comfort, realizing our situation
is not unique. We can learn what we must do as we struggle to be what we are
supposed to be – as individual Christians, and also as a church. Discussion: I.
A look at New Testament churches. A.
New Testament churches repeatedly struggled.
The Jerusalem church struggled to maintain sound doctrine (Acts
15). Corinth
struggled to maintain unity (I Corinthians 1:12).
Ephesus struggled to have true devotion (Revelation
2:1-7). Pergamos
and Thyatira both struggled to have proper fellowship (Revelation
2:12-29). Sardis
struggled to have real life (Revelation 3:1-6).
And Laodicea struggled to have true spirituality (Revelation
3:14-22). B.
In the New Testament, churches were not always stable, but
were constantly changing. The
Jerusalem church is an obvious example.
Before Pentecost, 120 disciples were awaiting the coming
kingdom (Acts 1:15), following Pentecost there was a church
of about 3000 (Acts 2:41) and the growth continued.
The changes were not always in the direction of growth
however. In I John
2:18-19, John explained the changing face of the church by
talking about the many brethren who left.
Both growth and attrition brought their own set of
problems. Jerusalem’s
growth caused a major problem in Acts 6, when the
Hellenistic widows were being overlooked.
No doubt, the loss of so many brethren as described in I
John caused emotional and spiritual problems among those who
remained. C.
The real issue in all of these situations, for all of these
brethren and congregations however was not what they were actually
dealing with at the moment. The
real issue was an issue of identity.
These brethren constantly had to wrestle with the question,
“Who are we and what are we supposed to be now that we are
Christians?” II.
We are in the same position. A.
The beginning of a new year is a natural time to
look back. This year,
as we do so we recognize that we are not different from the
churches in the New Testament.
The Franklin Church of Christ has gone through hard times
over the past few years. Every
single member of this congregation has been faced with the
emotional difficulties of these times. B.
The church family that was here just a little over a
year ago has been divided. Physical
families who were once united in service to God and in following
God’s pattern have become separated over spiritual issues.
Parents have watched their children put down the mantle of
upholding God’s pattern and choose a more emotional route.
Children have been separated from their friends as their
parents have chosen a different path. C.
The church’s work has been affected by these
changes. Some things
have been removed. No
doubt, we have lost teachers and other workers.
Our ability to support foreign evangelism has been severely
limited. But there
have also been some new things added.
At the end of last year, two new elders were appointed.
In the middle of this year, a new evangelist was hired.
Just recently, a new deacon was appointed. New teachers have come on board. D.
But in the midst of all this upheaval and distress,
the crux of the matter remains for us to look forward and wrestle
with the issue of who and what we are supposed to be.
We cannot answer that question simply with a sermon.
However, we can start to answer it by noting eight biblical
guideposts that will get us on track and keep us on track to be
what God wants us to be. III.
Eight guideposts to help us be what we are supposed to be
as individuals and as a congregation. A.
Guidepost
#1 – This is Christ’s church (Matthew 16:18).
This is not my church.
This is not your church.
This is not the “brotherhood’s” church.
This is not some school’s church.
This is Christ’s church.
Jesus is the head who decides what this church is supposed
to be and how it is supposed to work.
We must submit to Him in all things. B.
Guidepost
#2 – Our duty is to glorify God (John 15:8). If
we do not glorify God, we are not Christ’s disciples.
Our lives are no longer about ourselves.
This church is not here to honor and please us.
We must glorify God and cause others to glorify Him as
well. C.
Guidepost
#3 – Being like Christ is our goal (Ephesians 4:11-13).
Our goal is not the removal of poverty from the world.
Our goal is not to keep kids off the streets.
Our goal is not to entertain, feed or educate the masses.
Our goal is to come to the unity of the faith, the
knowledge of Jesus and to measure up to the full stature of Jesus
Christ. Since none of
us are there yet, we certainly have to keep working, but we must
keep our work focused properly. D.
Guidepost
#4 – Christianity is about growth (II Peter 1:5-11).
Becoming like Jesus is certainly a daunting objective.
However, we need to remember that Jesus died because we sin
and He does not expect us to be perfectly like Him right now.
Rather, He expects us to grow to be like Him.
As such, we expect to see changes in our lives and in the
congregation as we become more and more what God wants us to be.
There will be things we must stop doing and things we must
start doing. Change
and growth are not always easy, but they are necessary. E.
Guidepost
#5 – We must seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness
(Matthew 6:33). We
will have many decisions and wrestle with many problems,
personally and congregationally. As we strive to choose the best path to follow, this
guidepost leads us. We
must seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness.
What does His rule and will say?
That is the basis for our choices. F.
Guidepost
#6 – The Bible is our guide (II Timothy 3:16-17). To help us know God’s rule and righteousness, He revealed
His Word through the Holy Spirit.
This Word is our guide for how we live and act.
The preacher’s word in not our guide.
Brotherhood consensus is not our guide.
Papers and magazines are not our guide.
Schools are not our guide.
Neither the “Restoration Movement” nor its preachers
are our guide. God is
our guide through His Word – the Bible. G.
Guidepost
#7 – God expects us to perpetuate His kingdom
(Mark 16:15). We
are not to sit in our holy huddle on Sundays, but rather to take
the saving message and spread it out.
We must not get so caught up in ministering to one another
that we forget the lost. If
we are Christ’s church, we must get Christ’s message out. H.
Guidepost
#8 – Do not be discouraged when few want to join us
(Matthew 7:13-14). While
we work to spread the borders of the kingdom and bring others to
Christ, we must not grow discouraged because the majority of
people will not join us. We
must simply focus on those who do and help one another get to
heaven. This point
implies some facts about our place in the world.
We will be different.
Most people will not like us.
They will think we are strange.
We will be the “odd man out” on most issues.
We simply need to be ready for that. Conclusion: As we conclude, we need to remember the principle Paul demonstrated in Philippians 3:12-14. Too often, churches spend their time longing for what they had in the past. We cannot do anything about the past; we can only look to the future. We are not here to recapture our glory days; we are here to press on for the real glory of heaven. We are here to be what Christ wants us to be. Therefore, when we, like those early churches, go through struggles and life-changing events, instead of getting bogged down in the past, we must pick up the pieces, follow the guideposts and look forward to heaven. That is where we are going. Are you willing to head in that direction?
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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