The BUZZING Church: Doing a New Thing

Acts 2:37-47

The staff, the Session and I are preparing for the arrival of our New Beginnings Assessor. Linda Loptisch will be with us on Wednesday, July 16th for most of the day. Her time with us will conclude with an all-church gathering in fellowship hall that evening which she will facilitate (more to come soon). In the midst of all the preparation and anticipation of starting our New Beginnings journey, I began to think about what I could do to prepare all of you for the New Beginning assessment on the Sunday’s leading up to July 16th and beyond. So I developed a short sermon series entitled, “The Buzzing Church: Thrivin’ and Kickin’” with the goal of preparing us in some, small way for the road that lies ahead.

One of the main reasons, if not the main reason, we are participating in the New Beginnings assessment is because we believe God wants to do something new in our midst. God wants to build up our community, build up our congregation, to be buzzing with ministry led and driven by the Spirit of God.

What does it mean to be a church buzzing with ministry? What process for discernment do we follow to get there?

I believe God desires for his body, the church, to be buzzing with joy, enthusiasm, and excitement as it shares the Good News with the whole world. But sometimes the church gets stuck in its ways doing things the way they’ve always done them before. The church must be reminded that God wants to do a new thing in the church, a new thing in the world, so he gives us the necessary tools of the trade, to be truth-tellers in the world, sharing our calling and purpose with others, demonstrating through word and actions that Christ is gain, everything else is loss. The church also must welcome God’s desire for it to be alive, boisterous, and courageous; always seeking God’s guidance and instruction to be the church reformed, always reforming.

How do you make something new out of something old? I looked around my house to see what I could find. I noticed shoe boxes in the kids rooms used to store some of their toys and other keepsakes. In the garage I use those small Gerber baby food jars to store nails and screws of all shapes and sizes. I went online and checked out the website pinterest.com and I discovered masterpieces where something new was made out of something old. I learned how to make a “to go” cup out of a mason jar. I saw how to construct a couch from some old wooden doors. I also discovered thirty-eight amazing things you can do with an empty Altoids tin box. There were bottle cap key chains, blue jean pot holders, beer and soda can lanterns: the list goes on and on.

The Apostle Peter has become something new out of something old since the morning of Pentecost. Because of the Holy Spirit, he is more confident in himself and in what he believes. He speaks with confidence and a boldness we’ve never heard from him before. He proclaims to the Israelites about Jesus as the Son of God and we crucified him many times over. Through Peter and the other apostles’, a new thing is springing forth; an offshoot is beginning to grow. There is a movement from traditional Hebrew worship to worship of Jesus in “house churches” based on communal sharing and fellowship. They held everything in common, using the collective wealth of the group to care for others. They sold their stuff and the money went to all according to ones needs.

Why do we love new born babies and academic graduations so much? We witness great potential there for amazing things to happen. The possibilities are endless. In verses 39, Peter says, “The promise is for you, for your children, and all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” (vv. 38-39)

How do we prepare for doing a new thing? To what should we focus our time and energy?

Luke lists four key practices that characterize the lives of the first Christians. These believers made these practices a matter of the highest priority “devoting themselves” fully to their practice.

1. Instruction in God’s Word – The twelve apostles had a significant role in the beginnings of the church. They passed on to these new Jewish believers a full account of Jesus’ life and teaching. Much of this is recorded in the four Gospels. They provided a new perspective on the Old Testament, explaining how Jesus was the fulfillment of many prophecies. Throughout the early history of the church, grounding new believers’ in the apostles’ teaching was a top priority. And we still do this today. We teach through worship, in church school classes for all ages, Vacation Bible School and other learning opportunities that present themselves throughout the year.

2. Fellowship – It was important to these early believers to spend as much time together as they could. These hours would have been spent discussing the apostles’ teaching as well as encouraging and challenging each other in their faith journeys. This is one of the great practices of the church and it is one way it sets the church apart from the rest of the world. Everyone is welcome to join with us. Our arms and hands are always spread wide and ready to embrace. The message we strive to convey is you are accepted, you are received, you are known, you belong.

3. Worship: the Breaking of the Bread – it refers both to the sharing of ordinary meals together and to remembering the significance of the death of the Messiah by celebrating what came to be known as, “the Lord’s Supper”. At this time, the Lord’s Supper was held in conjunction with a common meal in homes throughout the city. This remembrance would have been a time of quiet reflection, an occasion for expressing thanks to the risen Jesus and praising him for what he had accomplished. As a sacrament, the breaking of the bread continues to be a powerful witness to saving grace of Jesus Christ. We do so to remind us of who we are and to whom we belong. In life and in death, we belong to God. We participate in the feast Jesus prepared for his disciples so many millennia ago.

4. Prayer – As we do today, the first Christians spent much time before the Lord in prayer. They prayed privately, but they often prayed together in groups. They maintained the Jewish pattern of setting aside three times a day for focusing on prayer. Some continued to go to the temple and pray at the customary Jewish hours of prayer. Their prayers probably centered on blessing and praising God as well as asking God for guidance and for boldness in proclaiming the Gospel. Many others prayed together in their “house churches” as a community of believers. Prayer continues to be a central spiritual practice of our faith to this day. Along with the sacraments, prayer unites us with the saints of the church, with one another in our present age and carries forward into the future. Prayer has power when blessed by the Holy Spirit. Prayer doesn’t change God, it changes the one who prays. That’s the power of prayer.

Members of the buzzing church are committed to these four practices to build a new community; a community where its members love one another, share themselves and things with one another and demonstrate good will toward all people not just ones own group.

And so what happens to Peter and the Apostles gathered there?

Their buzzing church shares the Good News with all were ready and willing to hear. When we are firing on all four cylinders: study, fellowship, worship and prayer, the result is an enthusiasm and joy that spreads like a wildfire. The Bible says, “Every day the Lord added to their number.” In fact, it was around 3000 who professed belief in Jesus Christ. The early church was not a stagnant church, but a growing, vibrant fellowship of believers. They were on fire for the Lord. They weren’t embarrassed to share their faith. They didn’t see their faith as a private affair. They couldn’t help themselves. They were so joyful and excited that all they could do was share what God had done for them. Their lives and their church were buzzing with excitement and enthusiasm because through study, fellowship, worship and prayer, they had come to love one another and the Lord.

Let us not lose our joy. Let us not lose our hope. It’s easy to do so. Let us study together with clear minds and open hearts. Let us fellowship together sharing the love of Christ with one another and the world around us. Let us worship together with a renewed vigor, anticipation and joy so that we the body of Christ may be strengthened and enhanced buzzing with excitement and life. And let us pray together with attentive ears and a compassionate heart so we may witness to the power of God in Christ in our lives.

Let the early church of our text today serve as a model for our church today. I pray that we will be buzzing with joy and love as we study, fellowship, worship and pray together. Amen.