The Body of Christ

Today on Renewing Your Mind. The early church here in the first century was participating in all the things that Christ commanded guarding them, observing them, and of course practicing what the apostles themselves did as well and they were committed to these things to the teaching and to the fellowship.

We as Christians in the 21st-century could be committed to those things as well. That's really been difficult over the last year and 1/2 churches of Ed to make some tough decisions and as a result, believers have struggled and even found themselves isolated. So let's discover why immersing ourselves in the life and ministry of the church is not optional for Christians. Why were meant to be together not to spiritually but physically to begin by asking you a question. Simple question and it concerns your church, how do you describe your church. Do you talk first and foremost about the programs at your church. You talk about the kids activities or the fund programs for kids or for youth you talk about the charisma of your pastor, you talk about what a great communicator he is. You talk about what a great building or property you have or that you just come through building project or you just pay off debt. What you say about your church.

One of things that I've always hoped that people would say about our church when describing our church is that it is a very ordinary church, no misunderstanding. I don't mean boring but ordinary. The language of ordinary comes to us from the Westminster standards in the Westminster shorter catechism question answer 88 where the Westminster theologians speak of the outward and ordinary means of grace. I go on to explain that the outward and ordinary means of grace are the word prayer and sacraments, some throughout the ages have added to that list the whole concept of fellowship and the importance of the fellowship of believers. Strictly speaking, the ordinary means of grace are simply that the word prayer and the two sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper and fundamentally, as we all know, I trust that's what we as the church are to be about weird to be committed to those things and my hope is when people talk about our church. The say well you know it's a pretty ordinary church you come you worship God, we sit in the ministry of the word of God.

We partake of the sacraments and we pray for something awfully freeing about that isn't there. Too often we pastors are the worst culprits that sort of putting people in these guilt trips, of making them feel like they need to beat everything that happens at the church every time the doors were open, we have an opportunity we produce something we have a ministry event and we make people feel guilty for not being there when God has not commanded them to be there. God commands us to be together with his people in the Lord's day to worship him.

And when we come to worship him. We are to set our eyes and to fix our agenda, not on all the busyness that can happen in a church good things ministry opportunities wonderful times to get together with God's people would fundamentally we are called to be a people that gather and focus our attention on these ordinary means of God's grace. Now here in acts chapter 2 just a look at a portion of this in verses 42 and following, we see how many of them were baptized and added to the number of the church and that we pick up in verse 42 reading and they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching in the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers is that first word that we read there in verse 42 they devoted themselves devotion has really fallen on hard times in our day people are no longer devoted as they ought to be to the right things were devoted to about everything else in the world except what we really ought to be devoted to the word there that Luke uses is a word that simply means continuing steadfastly. They continued steadfastly. They gave themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship they didn't just visit them. They didn't just plant them.

They didn't just attend these things from time to time. They were just auditors, nor were they just attenders. They were participants. They devoted themselves to these things.

Their lives revolved around the worship of God. The ministry of God's word being together is God's people eating together in fellowship and together in prayer we see Luke doing your giving us this picture of the first century church is a beautiful simple and ordinary picture of what the church did.

As they came together, not just once a week, but as we read on. Later throughout the week. Each and every day. Some of them would gather together in the temple the time of prayer. It's what we see here is them giving themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship likely. Luke was describing there really everything that the apostles taught Nelly everything the apostles taught. But everything the apostles observed everything the apostles did similar to what Jesus said in the great commission noticed that Jesus didn't say, baptizing them in the name of the father the son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them all that I've commanded. What did Jesus say teaching them to observe all that I've commanded teaching them to keep teaching them to guard all that I've commanded since of the early church here in the first century was dissipating in all the things that Christ commanded guarding them, observing them, and of course practicing what the apostles themselves did as well and there committed to these things to teaching and to the fellowship. The people in many churches today are not committed to the teaching there committed to so many other things there might be committed to their churches. They might be committed to their style of worship, they might even be committed to the style of their pastor.

They might be truly more committed to their pastor's way their pastors charisma their pastors look their pastor, communication style, then they are truly committed to the word of God and we as pastors have to do constantly is remind people that it's not about us. That's about God and his word that we will go away. We will disappear.

We will fade away, but God's word stands forever. That's why we as pastors are constantly not pointing to ourselves, pointing to Jesus Christ. We are a people who are committed to the things of God to the things that God has ordained that we believe in the sovereignty of God. Don't wait. If we believe in the sovereignty of God.

That means that we also ought to believe in the means that God is established because we understand and believing the sovereignty of God that God is not only ordained the ends of all things, but these also ordained the means to all those ends. This is one of the reasons I think we should love this picture of the early church we know it was a mass and that there are problems that there was sectarianism and division. What we see in the early church is this beautiful simple ordinariness of the people of God coming together hearing the word of God growing his disciples fellowship in together breaking bread together and pray let's not make any mistake about it.

Ultimately we know that the power is not in these things themselves the power is not in prayer will believe in the power of prayer. We believe in the power of God. That's why we pray is God by his Holy Spirit, who takes the word new takes prayers who takes our evangelism who takes all of our conversations about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and uses them by his grace for his sovereign ends, just as he did in your life and mine is Luke goes on. He explains how all fear came upon every soul people of God came to truly in a new way, fear the Lord and fear what it was to know him and to serve him and worship him, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles and all who believed were together and had all things in common their selling their possessions and belongings and disturbing the proceeds to all, as any had need not ought to tell you how many over the ages have sought to take this text and contorted and twisted to try to make of it some sort of first century socialism. From here in acts chapter 5 in other passages they've attempted to weave together passages of Scripture to say you see there the early church took care of one another in such a way that they had all things in common will is good Bible students. I trust that you know that the word all doesn't mean all in the way we often think that it does all in Scripture doesn't mean everything and everyone without exception, it can mean a large number it can be a great number of things that can mean several things. Sometimes it means all things are all people without distinction, but never does it mean everything without exception they didn't share their children, their wives, they didn't even share their homes often.

These were people who had their own possessions they had their own property. In fact, one of the things we see from acts chapter 5 is an example of individuals selling their own property to help those who were in need and I'm sure you understand what socialism is plainly put, socialism is an ideology, a mindset that is based on an economic, political, sociocultural idea of the centralization, the distribution and redistribution of power and wealth to those who are deemed in need not to make everyone have equal opportunity but to give everyone an equal outcome that we believe as Christians an equal opportunity. We believe as Christians that people ought to have equal opportunity that doesn't necessitate nor does it mean that everyone will have the same outcome. What we learned in Scripture, we learn here from acts chapter 2 is really very simple. The church of Jesus Christ cared for each other.

They loved each other. They took care of those who were in need word need mean something doesn't it doesn't say they sold their possessions and belongings and distribute the proceeds to all, as anyone wanted a handout. It said as anyone had need. The deacons were there just as our deacons exist to help discern and understand and to set criteria and parameters to determine those who are truly in need, not just those who want something, not just those who want to rise in a certain society or certain place, not simply those who want to hand up at those who are truly in need in the Bible calls us to care for those in need know and why were on the subject of this whole matter of socialism, and those who are in need, though it's not primary to the text. I think I think it is important that we talk for just a moment about something. It's a little bit related to socialism. Not the same, but it's his whole matter of what is been termed social justice. Now, throughout Scripture we know that God commands that we care for those who are in need. He sets laws and parameters for his people, so that the poor and those were underprivileged, and those were passing through our cared for.

We know throughout Scripture that God judges and prophesies against and condemns those leaders of Israel that did not properly care for the widow, the destitute, those who are hungry and those who are poor throughout Scripture, God condemns any sort of partiality we read throughout Scripture throughout the old and new Testaments that our God is a righteous God that our God is a just God that our God is a God of justice and their God is a God of impartiality in reading Exodus 23 Leviticus 19, Deuteronomy 1 and 10 how God condemns in any sphere in any place that his people would show any sort of partiality, whether to the rich and the affluent or to the poor that we as a people would be impartial that we as a people would be truly just that we as a people would judge rightly righteously that we as a people in all spheres of life, whether it societal, cultural, whether it's ecclesial judicial that we would be a people that strive to see true righteousness and true justice done.

The problem with the social justice movement. It's actually not really a movement it's in a religion in the social justice religion is tied to a number of other religions that have merged into one religion is comprised of critical theory, critical race theory woke is him and what are all the is constantly changing with the new demands of that religion and and is sorta presented itself as a new religion altogether that is under various different banners in garbs but in reality the social justice of the social justice movement and religion. The problem with it is.

It's actually not justice. The problem is is that it is not actual impartiality.

The problem is is that it shows partiality. It doesn't judge fairly. It doesn't judge righteously, it doesn't judge justly and what it does in the end is do the opposite of what it's striving to do as God's people. We are a people who truly believe in justice. We are a people who truly believe in biblical justice that is social, judicial, ecclesial in every other realm in our lives. We want to strive for and defend true justice problem with this new religion which is really not new at all. Problem with this new religion is that it doesn't actually believe in true justice for each and every person that believes in redistributive justice.

Reparative justice and even retributive justice and dearly beloved, nowhere in Scripture are those definitions and those explanations in any way attributed to true justice. As Christians we are a people who strive for justice.

We are to be the first people that would bemoan and decry any sort of injustice. We as a people ought to be the first people to speak against racism.

We are to be the first people to condemn any sort of white supremacy which is just nonsensical. We are to be a people who rise up and fight for the oppressed.

We are the ones throughout all of history who have cared for the unborn. We are the ones who fight for those who have been oppressed to have been hurt those who've been sinned against those who been enslaved. We are a people who fight for what is right because we fight for what is just because our God is just in our God cares see dearly beloved, the reality is is that saying these things I know to some sounds unloving. Some people in the future might even say that what were talking about his hate speech, but it's not love. Speech we say these things and we want to say what the Bible says about the compassion of our God in the care of our God for the fatherless and the widow, and the orphan, the oppressed and hurting because we love. We fight for true justice because we love let's make sure that we are very clear on this. We as Christians are to be known as a compassionate people. Yes, we are to be a people that preach the truth stand boldly in the truth courageously and the truth and also when they come and ask us about the hope that is within us. We give them an answer with meekness and gentleness that we are people who contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints, and we are a people, as Paul tells us in Ephesians 4, who with humility and gentleness and patience are eager to maintain the unity of the spirit, the bond of peace. We are people who are angry and rightly angry, but as God tells us in Psalm 40 Ephesians 4 where to be angry at not what sin we are to have anger we are to be vexed and we are to be frustrated but that should first and foremost, it is done on our knees and ask our God intervene and then rise up to act as a people. One of the things we've always been is a compassionate people because you know what the world that read the Bible. They read us and Jesus said that justice he is the light of the world. And so we were united to him reflecting his light are that light of the world and we are to be a people who do not think that we have to do this whole thing of being mutually exclusive. Where love is over here, and truth is over there. Jesus came full of grace and truth. We are to be a people who are the most uncompromising people in the world and the most compassionate people we see in the early church is a church taking care of one another loving one another.

Those who are truly in need. Those who are truly need because don't forget that in the early church. Many of these Christians were losing their jobs only were they getting thrown out of the temple really disown from their families. They couldn't find work because they were not Christians as a voluntary giving up of voluntary buying and selling wasn't like the Koran community. The ascetic Jews that went into that Koran region of the Essenes and had to were required by their rule of faith that they had to sell all their worldly possessions and give them to the community. Nowhere in Scripture do we find any such nonsense. In fact, we learned just the opposite in Scripture about being wise stewards of what God has entrusted to us that being careful with what we give and how we give it but also that we would be a people for the sake of the kingdom of God. The glory of God. A generous people. The early church understood this and this is one of the reason we look at passages like this we seek. How is it that this small group of men. This small group of early Christians in this small little place by God's grace change the world one about their ordinary lives living with their families.

Loving others and speaking the truth in love, my Father's Day speaking the truth in love, and what that meant. It meant speaking the truth in love note it means today don't speak the truth because it might hurt somebody's feelings and if you're really loving you won't say anything that would ever hurt anyone's feelings because that's real love is not love that hate day by day they attended the temple together, I meant likely that they were attending together enough Solomon's portico of the vast, vast part of the temple over 32,000 ft.².

The prayers and the gathering together in the afternoon as they gathered together they would break bread together in their homes. They received their food with glad and generous hearts. The language there of generous, maybe not the best translation there is really sincere hearts they been redeemed by the grace of God.

All they had was each other many other families disown them and all they had was their own community. In this fellowship. You know, first for me. Maybe it was the case for you. When I first came into the church as a teenager is of the Baptist Church is very grateful still to this day. For many of the southern Baptist men and women that taught me and instructed me and mentored me. It was of the Baptist who brought me to this conference back in 1996 for the Mennonite men independent Baptist Church men.

The Bible Presbyterian Church men for those godly saints that mentored me and shepherded me in point of the way. When I came to the church. I felt like I was home was my family was a dysfunctional family but as my family. That's what we see depicted here in the New Testament as early church was a family that loved each other didn't always get along.

There were issues with repentance and faith in grace and love covering a multitude of sins stuck together by a church is been through a lot this past year and I hope many of you remain committed to your local churches upheld the word of God and the gospel. That's Dr. Burk Parsons speaking at this year's wood international conference. Our theme this year was right now counts forever in his message. It is right where the churches today.

Our commitment to fellowship and prayer to the ordinary means of grace today in the church has an influence and impact on the world around us right now.

That's why Dr. RC Sproul named his monthly column in table talk magazine right now counts forever. He believed that there is eternal significance in our everyday lives.

And he wrote that column each month to encourage us to grow in our understanding of God so that we would know just how gracious and holy. Our God really is. Table talk continues to be a monthly source of encouragement and wisdom for thousands of subscribers. When you contact us today with a donation of any amount we will provide you with a one-year subscription to table talk will also include a copy of this month's edition every article this month is on the topic right now counts forever. I wife and I have been subscribers for more than 30 years and I can't commend this magazine highly enough so request your subscription with a gift of any amount when you go to Renewing Your Mind.org work when you call us. Our number is 800-435-4343 like now does count forever and that includes those times when we face difficulties in life. You see there's a fundamental issue here that the one in charge of this test that it is a test is not Satan but God, it's about the sovereignty of God's about the omnipotence of God's about the holiness of God to support who use this book of Job is not really a book about Joe. It's a book about God.

The title of his message is the providence of God, would you make plans to join us tomorrow Thursday edition of Renewing Your Mind