Episode 231: A Healthy, Vibrant, Growing Church | +Quigg Lawrence

Introduction

We are in Acts chapter nine. If you have a Bible or a Bible app, turn to Acts chapter nine. I want to read our focus verse, and then we'll have a little intro. It says in Acts nine verse 31:

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Maybe take your fingers, it's easier to learn that way. This is a snapshot of the early church. Before this, we're going to see bold preaching on the backside of it. We're going to see the healing of—I can't pronounce the name—Aeneas and Dorcas. What a name to give a kid, Dorcas. I wouldn't give my kid that name. But anyway, is her name also Tabitha? I think she had another name. Look in your text—is there another name for Dorcas? Tabitha. Right. Okay.

So the church was doing amazing things. There was healing, bold preaching, people getting converted. But it says this, this snapshot of the early church: through all its trials and all the things going on, the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria—they basically had peace in the midst of a very hard time.

I've learned this from Ben and Gloria. They live in an area where Christians are killed for their faith. When Ben was an archbishop—he's retired as an archbishop, currently a bishop—they burned down 52 of his churches in one week. Just for fun, they burned his own home down. They did unspeakable things to Mama Gloria. This has not happened just once. They've had their cattle killed. Every week, when Ben was here last time for cancer treatment, we'd get videos of Christians who had been killed in his diocese every single week. But in the midst of all this going on, it says they had peace. Amazing that you could have peace. Amazing that Ben could have peace, not even knowing if cancer is going to stay or go, whether he'll live or not live. He has peace.

And so the early church had peace. What's the second snapshot of the church? They were what? Being built up. They had peace, they were being built up, strengthened, and then they were walking. So peace, build up, walking. They were walking in two things. What were they? They were walking in the fear of the Lord—that's a holy reverence and awe of the Lord because He is God Almighty, holy, holy, holy. They were walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

The Power of Repetition and the Mission of the Church

Alright. So first, do you have any friends or relatives that tell you the same story over and over and over again? And when they look at you, it's like they think they're telling it to you for the first time? I have a hunting buddy named Donnie. I love him. He's funny. But I'm telling you, in one week, he told me the same story three times. And he's so eager and so excited. I'm like, dude, do you not remember you told me this yesterday or last week?

My granddad was the same. We'd go to his house when I was 10 years old—he's from Scotland. He had big, massive calves and he was a stubborn man, but he was a good man. I remember once in January, he caught a 12-pound bass, and he brought it home and put it in the bathtub so I could see a big fish. It was awesome. But I also remember my granddad, he would just tell me the same old stories over and over again. And I loved him and I respected him, but it was hard to listen to the same old story 25 times. It's like getting hit in the head with a fish over and over and over again.

It reminds me—do you remember turntables? Remember those? Yeah. So do you remember when it hit a bad spot in the album? And you're hearing, you know, "In the Year of David" or some song just playing over and over again. It's the same kind of pain.

And so I was so excited when we came to Acts chapter nine, which we're in the book of Acts. And so Acts nine is the passage. When you think of Acts nine, something should immediately come to your mind. It's a big event. Without this event, we'd have no New Testament. In fact, you probably wouldn't be a Christian if this event hadn't happened.

What's Acts nine about? The conversion of a Pharisee named Saul. And this man had made it his mission to annihilate the Church of Jesus Christ. He was on mission killing and taking people. He even went to Damascus far away to drag Christians in so they could be killed or put in prison. But we're not going to speak on that today. Because you know why? I figured out—I preached on this like two months ago or three. Two and a half months ago because it was in the lectionary. So I don't want to give you the same sermon and you feel like I'm a broken record. Or like my friend Donnie, he doesn't realize that I just talked to you six or seven weeks ago.

So we're going to do one verse, verse 31. It says:

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, was being built up, and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

And what happened as a result of what was going on? They multiplied. They multiplied. So the first thing the church had was peace. Now I don't know about you, but a lot of times I'm like, Lord, I just feel like I'm a pinball. I just feel like I'm a pinball in the world—the devil and my flesh are just pushing the buttons and I'm just getting thrown here, there, and everywhere. Anybody feel like that and say, Oh Lord, I just want peace.

And so maybe we'll go meditate or sit quietly and breathe in and out, in and out. It's helpful sometimes. But really, if you want peace, it's not about meditation. It's not about quieting yourself. It's not about doing this or not doing that. Peace actually comes from a person. And he is, in fact, the Messiah, the Prince of Peace.

I remember in Isaiah chapter nine—seven hundred plus years before Jesus was born—Isaiah said this:

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest on His shoulders. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Friends, I want to tell you, if you get nothing else from today, all the things in the world that we love—and I love a bunch of them—I love them. I love them. But they'll not give you peace.

I heard Steve Jobs' last words about peace and life. Even he figured it out at the end. He said, money will make the journey a little more comfortable, but in the end, you're still alone and isolated. He was searching. He was looking even at the end of his life. And so if you want peace, it's not a matter of being a mystic or a meditator. It's about knowing the Prince of Peace and being rooted in Him.

Paul says this in Romans 8:

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set your mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

To set your mind on the flesh is death, but on the Spirit is life and peace. And so, if you want to experience peace, it comes as a gift of the Holy Spirit that you receive. You don't chase after it. You receive it.

Building Up the Church

What's the second thing that was happening with the church besides peace? They were being built up. The church was being built up. Now, when I first read that, I was thinking, yeah, they had to have some organization. They need to have org charts and administrators and strategies, and they had to build buildings.

But that's not what they're talking about. The church here are the people of God, the ones who are called out—people like us. And so when he says the church was being built up—no, he's not referring to the organization. He's not referring to buildings, bigger buildings. He's referring to the people being built up.

You know, I know I have a perverse sense of humor. It's weird. My wife goes, Quig, you're not funny. But I have this visual in my head of a 65-year-old man with a big beer gut in a diaper, sucking his thumb and drinking out of a baby bottle. Like, that's ridiculous. But spiritually, that's what happens in the church too often. Like, some people have met Jesus when they were 20, and they haven't changed a lick since then. Paul says, you need milk, not meat. You're not ready for it.

So the church was being built up. Now, where did the early Christians worship? This is a little extra quiz. Let me chase a rabbit. Where did the early church worship? The temple courts and house-to-house. They met in the temple courts and house to house. There were so many people becoming Christians, they couldn't possibly meet in a church. In fact, there were no churches then, right? And they couldn't meet in one house because there are too many people. So they would go to the various courts around the temple and worship together.

But then, because the Lord knows that we need intimacy and fellowship, Acts 2:42-46 tells us they also met house to house in their homes. That's where they met.

But what happened when they started killing Christians? Well, they still met in private homes—they locked the door. But when it got worse, where did they meet? Because if I know where you live, I'll just come to your house and burn your house down. I'll grab you and take you to jail. Where did the early church meet when the persecution got severe? In caves, catacombs, and cemeteries.

They’d say: they'll never find us here. Caves, catacombs, and cemeteries.

Now, what we know is when he says the church was being built up, they're not referring to organization or administration or buildings. They're talking about people. So the question is, how can the church that is us—how can we be built up and be strong like the early church? Because today, you may think, I'm good. But there may come a time—as there did in Jos, Nigeria—when just like a thief in the night, persecution comes.

And so the question is, how can you be built up? How can you be built up? Well, he tells us in Colossians. It says:

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him, and established in your faith.

And so, if you want to be built up in the Lord, the first thing is—you have to be a Christian. You have to know Christ Jesus as Lord. And then, once you receive that gift, what's the next step to be built up? Because Jesus doesn't want to just give you the golden ticket to heaven and say, see you when you get there. No. He wants you to walk with Him. It's like going on a date. You don't say, hey, you want to go on a date and then not go with the person—you just stay at your own house. No. Jesus wants you to walk with Him. So you receive Him as Lord, and you walk in Him. You're rooted and built up in Him, established in your faith.

How else can you be built up? I mean, you should be asking that: how can I be strong in the Lord? How can I be built up? How can I not be like a pinball tossed here and there? Well, in Ephesians, Paul writes this in verse 11:

So Christ gave Himself—really, for the church—but it says, so Christ gave Himself. Christ Himself gave what? The apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers.

Why did He give all those offices or positions in the church? What does it say in verse 12?

To equip His people for works of service so that the body of Christ might be built up.

And so, if you want to be built up, it's pretty simple. It's a person: Jesus. You are a vine, right? Like, you are connected to Him if you're a Christian, and you're feeding on Him. But also, God's given us these gifts of apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers.

You know what I see in the American church and in the church in general? There isn't much unity. There's just a lot of nastiness. The nastiness of the world gets mirrored and reflected in the church. So I want to say—has God not done something He needed to do? Oh, no. The problem is, He's given us these gifts of apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers. And we have changed this pattern to where we have one pastor. In most churches, we have one pastor who's like the village concierge. He's the guy that does everything.

It's like: hey, pastor, you have a line to the big man upstairs. And if I'm sick in the hospital, I want you to see me. If I need prayer, I need you to pray for me. But the problem is, we're ripping ourselves off. God said: you're a body with many parts. Each one has the Spirit for the common good.

Believe it or not, I don't want to be a one-man band. Give me the creeps, y'all. You know, just like clown mimes really give me the creeps—they really do—spiders, clown mimes, and one-man bands. They are just ridiculous. Have you seen those guys? Stop, stop. It's like the worst idea ever.

And so, to be built up in the church, I want to say—where's the apostle in our day? Where's the prophet? Where's the pastor? Where's the teacher? And it can't just be people who wear collars. The Bible never says that. It says to each is given. If you want to be built up, part of that is walking with Christ, walking in your gifting.

Walking with the Lord

Alright. So there's peace. There's being built up. Let's now examine what the church was doing: walking. Walking. The church was walking. What were they walking in? Two things. Quicker you get it, the quicker the sermon’s over. Go. Thank you. Amen. Okay. We're good.

So the church was walking in the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord. So maybe you were brought up in a peaceful home. Maybe you were brought up in a place where there was no violence. But for some of us, we were brought up in a different environment. And so when we hear that the church was walking in the fear of the Lord, we go to a dark place. We go to, like, wanting to cower because God's going to beat the—you know what—out of us. We're afraid of Him. We're cowering. That's not what it means.

He does want us to have a holy awe and fear of Him, but fear of His majesty and His power and His goodness and His awesomeness. Can you use the word to define a word? His awesomeness and His love.

So the church was walking in the fear of the Lord. If you're a believer, I have a verse for you. If you're a Christian, here's a verse:

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear. For fear has to do with punishment. — 1 John 4:18

All evangelicals know that verse. Fear has to do with punishment. Christ has been punished for us. Therefore, we don't have to fear. That's true. Except for—we do—our call many, many times in the Bible to fear the Lord, to have a holy awe and reverence. Stop making Him your buddy. Every knee will bow. Every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

The one who made all these things, snapped His fingers, spoke, made all these things. He is a God to be in all of. Now, if you're an unbeliever—what does it mean to walk in the fear of the Lord?

Matthew 10:28 says this:

Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

And so, if you're a nonbeliever, what I want to say to you is, God's not sitting there with an AK-47 waiting to mow you down. But He is a holy God. And the only way to Him is through His Son, who paid in full the price for you to be washed and forgiven. He paid it. He paid a terrible death. He humbled Himself.

And so, we see that the church was walking in the fear of the Lord. What's the other thing the church was walking in? And then we'll close. The church was walking in the what? The comfort of the Holy Spirit. So I don't know about you, but I need some comfort. There are hard things around me. There are hard things even in our family. There are hard things in our church family that I see every day. There are hard things you're dealing with.

And so, Jesus has promised: I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you. He actually said: it's better that I go to the Father. And I'm going to send my Holy Spirit to be your comforter. So walking in the comfort of the Holy Spirit is first welcoming the Spirit into your life.

John 14:26 says:

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I said to you.

And so, to walk in the comfort of the Spirit, you got to know God, the Holy Spirit. You got to welcome Him. Welcome Him. He is a comforter. The last thing is this: 2 Corinthians 1 says:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.

And so, while God is a holy God and a just God and He is a judge, He's also a God who gives comfort to His people.

Conclusion

Comfort my people. Here's a close: the church we all yearn to be a part of is not like the brokenness that we see all around us in churches. It's a disaster. It doesn't look anything like this snapshot in Acts 9:31.

And so the question is, are you being built up? Are you being built up? Imagine you just come in, come out, come in, come out—twice, three times a month for years. But are you being built up? Do you get any time feeding on the meat of God's Word? Are you being built up? Are you? Do you have peace? I.e., do you have the Prince of Peace—God Himself—in your life? Because He's the only one that can give it to you, I promise. It's the only factory of peace in the cosmos.

Are you walking in a holy reverence and awe and fear of the Lord? And have you received the gift and comfort of His Holy Spirit? Friends, if we're going to be like the early church, we got to be like the early church.

Close with this story: in my first church, we had two organists. They were both in their mid-eighties. One was Miss Kitty, and she played particularly poorly. But on a few Sundays, she might have had a beverage before church—I don't recommend that, but she did—because she had soreness, and she played very well.

The other was Miss Betty. Miss Betty was 87, 88 years old, and she had arthritic hands and knees, and she was a little woman. When I was asked to leave my first church, I was feeling so sorry for myself. She came up to me and said: I want you to know I’ve been on my knees every single day since I met you. I have been praying for you every single day.

Friends, that's what it means to be rooted in Christ, built up, walking in a fear and reverence for God, and also the comfort of His Holy Spirit.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.