Here is the final installment of Dr. Adams' messages on the church. I hope they have been a blessing for you.
"Portrait of a Great Church"
Psalm 127:1
Matthew 16:18
A black man was trying to get into a white church during the 60's when racism was epidemic. Sunday by Sunday some of the deacons kept watch at the door and turned this black man away from every service. Finally, the black man summoned for the pastor to ask why he was not allowed in their church. The pastor met him on the steps and seeking to avoid the issue simply told the man, "Well, fellow, you just need to pray about it." One day, weeks later, the pastor saw the black man in town and wondering why he had not made any more attempts to enter his church facetiously asked him if he had prayed about the whole situation. The black man replied, "Yes sir, I prayed about it and the Lord said buddy, I've been trying to get in that church for 20 years and they won't let me in either."
You know some churches think they've got it and they're blind to the fact that they don't even count with God. I mentioned Samson this morning and the Bible says about Samson that he "wist not that the LORD was departed from him." Jesus is conspicuously absent from some churches and they don't even know it. Jesus said, "I will build my church." Somebody has hijacked the blueprint! The contractors of this age are building ecclesiastical empires they call churches that leave you scratching your head when you've got any knowledge of the New Testament.
Now, before I go any further I want to say that you can get into trouble saying you want to be a New Testament church. Which New Testament church do you want to be? Do you want to be the church at Ephesus who had lost her first love? Do you want to be the church at Sardis, that had a name of being a live church but was dead? Do you want to be the Laodicean church that was lukewarm and made God sick? Do you want to be the Philippian church for whom Paul said "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you," but had two fighting women in that church? How about the Corinthian church that was full of divisions and a man who had an affair with his stepmother? Which church do you want to be? The point of that message is that greatness in a church is not measured by the fruit but by the root. The fruit can be rotten on an otherwise good tree if the worms get in the fruit. We have the worms of superficial Christianity. What you see of their faith is just on the surface and it belies their heart. That's when you take the name but you don't take the aim. If you call yourself a Christian, you've took His name, you ought to walk with Christ. Your greatest pursuit must be to be like Jesus or you are a disgrace to all of heaven's causes on earth. We can never have great churches with fake Christians anymore than a hungry man can have delight when he picks up the fruit from the fruit basket and finds it is a wooden apple.
Secondly, we have the worms of shrewd confession. You know some Christians in some churches have made an art out of confessing sin that is nothing short of mockery to God. It is almost popular nowadays to say, "you know I know I'm not perfect; I sin just like everybody else; I'm trying to live the best Christian life I can even though there are some things I do I know is not right with God." The way some folks tackle repentance would make you think the Church was put in the business of just refurbishing the Old Adam. God's word says, "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." My dear friend, you can get down at an old fashioned altar and cry great big crocodile tears for the sins you've committed and if that is all you do you'll get up with those sins embedded in your soul like leaches. We need some old-fashioned repentance in the church if we want to have a great church. We've got to get on beyond the business of confessing to the profit-making of forsaking known sin in our lives. Confessing is only the business. Forsaking sin is the profit. Any business that doesn't make a profit is soon bankrupt. Any soul that confesses the sin on Sunday and jumps right back into it on Monday hasn't forsaken anything and will soon close His account with God in the minus column.
We also have the worms of sick commitment. It is absolutely surprising today what some church members consider to be acceptable commitment in their eyes to their church. Why, if half the workers in the local town factory showed as much commitment to their jobs as some church members show to their churches the boss would fire them on the spot. Jesus said this would happen in Matthew 24;12, "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." I heard about two pastors that were discussing the lack of commitment in their churches. One pastor said, "my church is too near the lake and too many of my people love to go boating." The other pastor responded, "Well, my church is just as near to the lake as yours but the problem in my church is not that we are too close to the lake but that we are not close enough to the Lord." Churches never become great in the midst of divided loyalties and misplaced priorities. Well, that is just the introduction and now I've got to start preaching.
This morning we discovered that God defines a great church as one that has great power, great grace, and great fear. There is no power without the favor of God and there is no favor of God without the fear of God. I'd like to have a great church, wouldn't you, with the power of God, the grace of God, and the fear of God all over us. Let me move on tonight to give you three other things in the book of Acts that God says makes up a great church.
Great Persecution
The fourth thing that makes a great church will shock you. It is great persecution. Look with me to Acts 8:1. Saul, who was soon to be the apostle Paul, had orchestrated the stoning of the great Christian, Stephen. They were about to bury the body of Stephen and Luke records these words, "And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles." Vance Havner, the great Southern Baptist evangelist, wrote in 1958, "We are not meeting opposition because we have come to terms with the world. We are living in peaceful coexistence with the age, forgetting that the friend of the world is the enemy of God. Such a policy will produce a popular and prosperous church, a great church in the eyes of men, but it will be part of the apostate world-church shaping up before our eyes." Paul clearly told Timothy, "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."
You know it could be that the church no longer has the guts to upset the forces of evil in the community anymore which explains why we're not persecuted for anything anymore. The beer taverns are afraid of us anymore like they were afraid of Billy Sunday. The dope dealers aren't threatened by us anymore. On the contrary, half their business is in the church membership. The divorce courts, the multiple marriages, the unwed pregnancies, and the bedrooms of fornication in America wink at the modern day church because we've swept such sin under the rug with open invitation to one and all to be arrogant and proud of our lifestyles. Is it any wonder that the Church today has shrunk in God's eyes and Jezebel hasn't the least bit of fear of Elijah in our day? God is calling His church today to be done with the done with the comfort in sin and get on with the business of confrontation of sin. We need to get over making Christianity acceptable to the world. That is a waste of time. We need to get on with preaching sin kills, hell is hot, sinners are condemned, grace is not cheap, and God has not changed. That is what will make a great church even if we are disliked, disbelieved, discouraged, and disowned. One of these days the true church will DIS-APPEAR, and that great church will have left a message behind that the persecutors will have to swallow whether they like it or not. Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Great Joy
Fifthly, God describes a great church in Acts 8 as one of great joy. Listen to it. Verse 6 says, "And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city." Did you see it? Their joy was based upon the experience of God's power and favor in their midst. The joy is missing in most churches today because they don't ever see God doing much that is unmistakably God. They see man doing a lot but God is not even answering their 911 calls. Do you know why that is? It is because the joy of the Lord stands on two feet. What two feet? John 13:17 tells us. "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." There it is. The left foot is "knowing" and the right foot is 'doing." Joy comes from the knowing and the doing of the will of God no matter what the struggles may be. Listen, if you know what you're supposed to do for God and you back off from doing it you have just killed your joy. Did you know that?
So many churches today have become joy factories. The only problem is that it is synthetic or artificial joy. Big choirs, rockin' musicians, back-patting preachers, luxury buildings that dazzle the eye - all just to send you away home on Sunday with dazzled mind. Beloved, joy doesn't happen in the mind. Joy happens in the heart. It comes in an obedient relationship with Jesus Christ, not some eye-dazzling, ear-tickling, heart pulling church service that teases for the moment and leaves you empty later. The problem with all this is we've made joy the goal instead of the result. Joy comes as the result of all I've preached today. When God's people wait on His empowerment, walk in His favor, and work for His glory, not ours, joy automatically comes and stays. So many churches today look like the First Sad Sack Church of Pity Town, USA, or they look like the Second Put-On Baptist Church of Self-Righteousville, America. Either way it is missing God's true joy.
Great Numbers
Now, finally I want you to know that God describes a great church as one of great numbers. Acts 11:21 says, "And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord." When I read the book of Acts and the record of growing Christianity in the first century I am sorely pressed in spirit as to why that is not happening today. I mean God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, right? So when they started out with 120 in the upper room, which grew to three thousand souls by Acts 2:41, which grew to 7000 souls by Acts 4:4, and who knows how many by the end of the book, and I see we can't get a corporal's guard on Sunday night in most Baptist churches, I have to ask myself whose fault is that. It sure isn't God's! When it says that multitudes of men and women were added to the Lord after the death of Ananias and Sapphira I question what is wrong with the church today. When it says they chose deacons in Acts 6 and "the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem, and a great company of priests were obedient to the faith, I can't help but wonder where is the missing ingredient.
The reality we need to come to grips with in the church today is God's kingdom is not about counting the numbers but making the numbers count. The text says, "and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord . Now that's a number that makes a difference. David made that mistake in counting the numbers of Israel for the wrong reason. When I was a teenager I found it a mystery that Moses was commanded to count Israel in the book of Numbers but 500 years later David does the same thing and God is so angry He makes David choose one of three punishments: seven months famine, three months on the run from his enemies, or three days of pestilence. David chose the pestilence and it infected and killed 70,000 men, 5 percent of the soldiers he counted. Why would God ask Moses to number the people and be angry when David numbered them. The answer is in the purpose. In Israel, the only time God permitted the numbering of the people was for the military draft or for taxation. David numbered the people because his rebellious son Absalom was leading the people against his father. Likely, David was tempted to see how many men would fight for him should it come to a battle. The scripture tells us it was 10 months before David realized he had sinned and then one day his heart smote him for what he had done. Why was he convicted? Because he had numbered the people for the wrong reason. He was putting his faith in the numbers rather than in God. Joab tried to get him to see that before he ever numbered the people.
Today, the church is falling into the same trap. One church is jealous of another church if that other church has more in attendance. Another pastor goes around bragging with a swelled head of all the nickels and noses he has in his church. Another pastor is traded off like a piece of spoiled meat if the powers that be in his church decide he isn't producing the numbers they want. God didn't call me to produce the numbers. God called me to preach the Word and to help you go after the numbers but remember this: no man produces the numbers. It is God that giveth the increase. On and on I could go of how we have totally gone blind to God's plan for a great church. The only reason God is interested in numbers in His church is if they really count for the glory of Christ. What good is it if you can pack the pews when you won't penetrate the world with the gospel message of Christ? Are those 50 witnessing for Jesus? Are those thousands growing in their faith? Are those 150 baptisms last year functioning in Christian service? Let me let you in on a secret about God's math for the church. If the additions are doing nothing for the Kingdom of God but sitting on the pews then it doesn't matter how much you multiply you still come up in the minus column according to God. Two or three times nothing is still nothing. God didn't just say fill up the pew. God said fill up the heart with "whatsoever He has taught us" so that they can be productive disciples in the church. We've got enough spiritual deadbeats in the church today as it is.
I'll close by telling you a story about numbers. A census taker stopped at this house and asked the mother who came to the door how many kids she had in the home. The mother said, "Well, there is Billy, Harry, Martha, and..." The census taker interrupted and said, "never mind the names, ma'am, just give me the number." Indignant the mother replied, "fellow, they don't have numbers, all they've got is names." Folks, if Aletheia Baptist Fellowship wants to be a great church we've got to really care about people. We may not like what comes with the name but if all we're out for is numbers everybody will know we're not as great as we think we are. Love the people for God's sake and let the Lord add to our numbers as He sees fit. Now, that is a great ministry.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
The Church, Part 2
Here is part 2 of Dr. Adams' message on the church:
Great Grace
Secondly, a great New Testament church has great power and also great grace. The end of Acts 4:33 says, "and great grace was upon them all." I have been studying and meditating on that passage for two weeks and it has intrigued me deeply in my spirit. Whatever this condition was on the Jerusalem church it was impressive, intuitive and inclusive. It was impressive because Luke calls it great grace. It was not small grace. It was not puny grace. It was not midget grace. It was giant, large, unmistakably huge grace. It was intuitive because Luke says it was upon them. Note that word "upon." When you get saved the grace of God comes in you to forgive you, cleanse you, and make you a new person from the inside out. But Acts 4:33 is different. It is grace that is upon them. A chicken can lay an egg but you really can't see the egg because the egg is inside the shell. But if I were to throw that egg and hit you in the face with it you've got egg on your face, don't you, and everybody can see it. It is right out in plain sight. You can't see forgiveness. You can't see the blood wash away a man's sins. That is unseen and inside. But the grace of Acts 4:33 is outside and wonderfully visible. Hold on to that thought. Finally, this grace, great grace, is inclusive. Luke says it was upon them "all." Nobody in that Jerusalem church at that time who were saved missed out on this condition. You could go from one church member to another church member to another church member and one by one you could see this great grace clearly manifest on all their lives. Today we're living in times of "spot grace" on the church and it is hard to spot. Few believers have what this talks about enough to recognize it. What in the world is Luke referring to here when he speaks of great grace upon them all?
I believe the answer goes back nearly 4000 years to man named Noah. In Genesis 6:8 you read, "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." Noah had the favor of God on his life when God wanted to destroy every other living soul on the earth. I wonder sometimes if God just wouldn't like to shut the doors of some of America's churches because they have completely lost the favor of God. I'm sure the only reason He keeps them open is to testify of what it is like when a church has completely lost the favor of God. Do you know what that looks like? Have you seen that in churches but you were unwilling to make the diagnosis? I'll tell you what it looks like. First of all, the love is gone. The love of God demanded His grace and the grace of God declared His love. These are companion blessings in a church and when one is gone the other is nowhere to be found. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." My dear friends, if the favor of God is to be seen upon our fellowship in such an impressive way you and I will be so touched by God's unmerited favor on our lives that we can't help but share that same love and grace with each other. If you lose that you lose the greatness in your church. Not only is the love gone when God's favor is missing. The light is gone. The lights have not only gone out in Georgia but in all fifty states of America where God's church does not yearn for the favor of God. You'll see it in the church when people fight the message and the messenger. The reason why somebody can't see the truth is because they are in the dark. They reject the light, run from the light, and eventually relinquish and forfeit the light. Light doesn't stay around in persistent darkness. Light likes light and darkness likes darkness. If light stays around darkness and tries to coexist, pretty soon the light will be extinguished. You can park your car in a dark garage overnight with the lights on high beam and you'll have a dead battery by morning. Try explaining that experience to someone by telling them you thought your garage stuff would be better by morning if you left the light on. They'll think you're crazy. I'll tell you so many Christians trying to be light today hang around darkness thinking that eventually they'll make an impact and change the darkness when the truth is all they are doing is running their battery down. If darkness will not come to the light it is because their deeds are evil and they love evil according to John 3:19.
The favor of God totally leaves a church when they will not receive the light of God's truth. Finally, you can tell when the favor of God is gone from a church. Not only is the love gone. Not only is the light gone. The luster is gone. A diamond ring that has lost its luster is just a rock. A church that has lost the favor of God is just a building on the street. It might as well be bulldozed down as to continue on without God's blessings. When the favor of God is on a church the preaching anointed. When the favor of God is on the church the offerings are astonishing. When the favor of God is on the church the invitations are amazing. When the favor of God is on the church the fellowship is appealing. When the favor of God is on the church the vision for ministry is awesome. When the favor of God is on the church the love is authentic. And when the favor of God is on the church the presence of God's Holy Spirit is apparent. A great church according to God has great grace upon all the members. Do you have the favor of God on your life? This church can be no greater than the favor of God on your life.
Great Fear
Thirdly, our last point in this morning's message is that a great church has great fear. Great power, great grace, and great fear is what God says makes up a great church. In Acts 5 we read that it didn't take long for a good thing to start spoiling. This great church in Jerusalem that had oneness, generosity, and the favor of God also had Ananias and Sapphira in the membership. God struck Ananias and Sapphira dead for pretending a full dedication of their property and proceeds to the benevolent ministries of that church. If they had just sold the property and said they got $100,000 for it but were only willing to give half of it to the church they could have still been on the finance committee. But no, they lied and said they were giving all they got for the property to the church when in truth they were holding back part of the proceeds. What happened shocked the whole town and the undertaker. We read twice in Acts 5, verses 5 and 11, that "great fear came on all them that heard these things; and great fear came upon all the church." The Ananias and Sapphira club prospers in the modern day church and the fear of God has been lost in Christendom. It might do us some good today to call all five undertakers in this city to stand outside our church doors on Sunday with their hearses and the prophet of God to declare at the threshold, "if you come into this church today and your worship is not in spirit and truth; your Christian life is a lie, these men are here to give you a ride home to the cemetery."
Great churches do not search with their eyes frantically to find happiness as much as they squint their eyes to aim at holiness. We're too busy planning fun and have forgotten our fear of God. Preachers have lost their fear of God because they stand in their pulpits and powder puff iniquity and put cold cream on the cancers of sin in their congregation. Church members think they can bow at the altar of Baal on Saturday nights, drink their cocktails, sleep with whomever they wish, as long as they come in on Sunday and sing ever so piously "I'd Rather Have Jesus." I tell you we have lost the ability to be horrified at sin in the church today. Preachers are dishing out sun baths to church members when they really need surgery. But church members have become so brazen in conscious sin the pulpit pump might as well be pumping up a balloon full of
holes. Beloved, we are in the last days before Christ comes. According to Revelation 21:2, He is coming to get a bride that will be adorned for her husband. The bridegroom is not interested in a powerless church. The bridegroom is not interested in a love-less church. The bridegroom is not interested in a church with soiled garments. The Bridegroom is coming for a great church who has made preparations and is looking for His return. Are you going to be ready?
Great Grace
Secondly, a great New Testament church has great power and also great grace. The end of Acts 4:33 says, "and great grace was upon them all." I have been studying and meditating on that passage for two weeks and it has intrigued me deeply in my spirit. Whatever this condition was on the Jerusalem church it was impressive, intuitive and inclusive. It was impressive because Luke calls it great grace. It was not small grace. It was not puny grace. It was not midget grace. It was giant, large, unmistakably huge grace. It was intuitive because Luke says it was upon them. Note that word "upon." When you get saved the grace of God comes in you to forgive you, cleanse you, and make you a new person from the inside out. But Acts 4:33 is different. It is grace that is upon them. A chicken can lay an egg but you really can't see the egg because the egg is inside the shell. But if I were to throw that egg and hit you in the face with it you've got egg on your face, don't you, and everybody can see it. It is right out in plain sight. You can't see forgiveness. You can't see the blood wash away a man's sins. That is unseen and inside. But the grace of Acts 4:33 is outside and wonderfully visible. Hold on to that thought. Finally, this grace, great grace, is inclusive. Luke says it was upon them "all." Nobody in that Jerusalem church at that time who were saved missed out on this condition. You could go from one church member to another church member to another church member and one by one you could see this great grace clearly manifest on all their lives. Today we're living in times of "spot grace" on the church and it is hard to spot. Few believers have what this talks about enough to recognize it. What in the world is Luke referring to here when he speaks of great grace upon them all?
I believe the answer goes back nearly 4000 years to man named Noah. In Genesis 6:8 you read, "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." Noah had the favor of God on his life when God wanted to destroy every other living soul on the earth. I wonder sometimes if God just wouldn't like to shut the doors of some of America's churches because they have completely lost the favor of God. I'm sure the only reason He keeps them open is to testify of what it is like when a church has completely lost the favor of God. Do you know what that looks like? Have you seen that in churches but you were unwilling to make the diagnosis? I'll tell you what it looks like. First of all, the love is gone. The love of God demanded His grace and the grace of God declared His love. These are companion blessings in a church and when one is gone the other is nowhere to be found. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." My dear friends, if the favor of God is to be seen upon our fellowship in such an impressive way you and I will be so touched by God's unmerited favor on our lives that we can't help but share that same love and grace with each other. If you lose that you lose the greatness in your church. Not only is the love gone when God's favor is missing. The light is gone. The lights have not only gone out in Georgia but in all fifty states of America where God's church does not yearn for the favor of God. You'll see it in the church when people fight the message and the messenger. The reason why somebody can't see the truth is because they are in the dark. They reject the light, run from the light, and eventually relinquish and forfeit the light. Light doesn't stay around in persistent darkness. Light likes light and darkness likes darkness. If light stays around darkness and tries to coexist, pretty soon the light will be extinguished. You can park your car in a dark garage overnight with the lights on high beam and you'll have a dead battery by morning. Try explaining that experience to someone by telling them you thought your garage stuff would be better by morning if you left the light on. They'll think you're crazy. I'll tell you so many Christians trying to be light today hang around darkness thinking that eventually they'll make an impact and change the darkness when the truth is all they are doing is running their battery down. If darkness will not come to the light it is because their deeds are evil and they love evil according to John 3:19.
The favor of God totally leaves a church when they will not receive the light of God's truth. Finally, you can tell when the favor of God is gone from a church. Not only is the love gone. Not only is the light gone. The luster is gone. A diamond ring that has lost its luster is just a rock. A church that has lost the favor of God is just a building on the street. It might as well be bulldozed down as to continue on without God's blessings. When the favor of God is on a church the preaching anointed. When the favor of God is on the church the offerings are astonishing. When the favor of God is on the church the invitations are amazing. When the favor of God is on the church the fellowship is appealing. When the favor of God is on the church the vision for ministry is awesome. When the favor of God is on the church the love is authentic. And when the favor of God is on the church the presence of God's Holy Spirit is apparent. A great church according to God has great grace upon all the members. Do you have the favor of God on your life? This church can be no greater than the favor of God on your life.
Great Fear
Thirdly, our last point in this morning's message is that a great church has great fear. Great power, great grace, and great fear is what God says makes up a great church. In Acts 5 we read that it didn't take long for a good thing to start spoiling. This great church in Jerusalem that had oneness, generosity, and the favor of God also had Ananias and Sapphira in the membership. God struck Ananias and Sapphira dead for pretending a full dedication of their property and proceeds to the benevolent ministries of that church. If they had just sold the property and said they got $100,000 for it but were only willing to give half of it to the church they could have still been on the finance committee. But no, they lied and said they were giving all they got for the property to the church when in truth they were holding back part of the proceeds. What happened shocked the whole town and the undertaker. We read twice in Acts 5, verses 5 and 11, that "great fear came on all them that heard these things; and great fear came upon all the church." The Ananias and Sapphira club prospers in the modern day church and the fear of God has been lost in Christendom. It might do us some good today to call all five undertakers in this city to stand outside our church doors on Sunday with their hearses and the prophet of God to declare at the threshold, "if you come into this church today and your worship is not in spirit and truth; your Christian life is a lie, these men are here to give you a ride home to the cemetery."
Great churches do not search with their eyes frantically to find happiness as much as they squint their eyes to aim at holiness. We're too busy planning fun and have forgotten our fear of God. Preachers have lost their fear of God because they stand in their pulpits and powder puff iniquity and put cold cream on the cancers of sin in their congregation. Church members think they can bow at the altar of Baal on Saturday nights, drink their cocktails, sleep with whomever they wish, as long as they come in on Sunday and sing ever so piously "I'd Rather Have Jesus." I tell you we have lost the ability to be horrified at sin in the church today. Preachers are dishing out sun baths to church members when they really need surgery. But church members have become so brazen in conscious sin the pulpit pump might as well be pumping up a balloon full of
holes. Beloved, we are in the last days before Christ comes. According to Revelation 21:2, He is coming to get a bride that will be adorned for her husband. The bridegroom is not interested in a powerless church. The bridegroom is not interested in a love-less church. The bridegroom is not interested in a church with soiled garments. The Bridegroom is coming for a great church who has made preparations and is looking for His return. Are you going to be ready?
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Taking a Fresh Look at the Church, Part One
A friend of mine, Dr. William Timothy Adams, recently preached a message about the church. Now, being a church planter of sorts, his message interested me. I am including the first of two or three parts for your consideration.
"Portrait of a Great Church"
Psalm 35:18
I have been to some great churches in my life. In 1979, I had the privilege to go to the largest church in our denomination at that time, the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. My reason for going to that church was the reputation of the pastor, Dr. W.A. (Wally Amos) Criswell. He was known in our convention for being the champion of conservative theology and belief in the perfect inspiration of the Bible. We went to the early service and I discovered that Dr. Criswell only preached the 11 o'clock service so I didn't even get to hear him that day.
In 1981, I had the privilege to enter into two other great churches around Cincinnati, Ohio. My friend, Johnny Holloway, pastored the First Baptist Church of Dayton, Kentucky, just across the river from Cincinnati. In that church there were 10 old-time stained glass windows that towered on the walls of the sanctuary 15 feet tall. Each of those beautiful windows depicted some scene in the life of Christ. Johnny told me that the church had insured each of those windows for $100,000 apiece. The First Baptist Church of Dayton, Kentucky was known for its colored crystal worth a million dollars. Johnny was a pretty good preacher too. Johnny took me over into Cincinnati one day to a Catholic church. I stood there that day in that cathedral church admiring the massive ceilings some 200 feet high with all the Romanesque architecture. The windows had wooden doors that closed to keep the light out and those doors on the windows were at least 75 feet tall. That church was known for its building.
In 1997, I had the awesome experience to visit in Adrian Rogers church, Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. I have in my library several books by Rogers and also his predecessor, R.G. Lee. Dr. Lee preached a famous sermon all over this country called "Payday Someday." The sermon was preached over a 1000 times all over the world actually as R.G. Lee traveled 100,000 miles a year in his 18 year post-retirement ministry. You can almost hear him speak the sermon from the grave: "And now with the introduction of these four characters— Naboth, the devout Jezreelite—Ahab, the vile human toad who squatted befoulingly on the throne of the nation— Jezebel, the beautiful adder beside the toad—and Elijah, the prophet of the living God, I bring you the tragedy of 'Pay-day—Someday'." Bellevue Baptist Church has always been considered great because of her preachers. It is a sign of the times for sure that such a church in these days has begun to attack their preacher, Steve Gaines, just like the attack upon Jerry Sutton, at Two Rivers Baptist Church, another church famous for its evangelistic efforts through the years.
Men and women, I fear that the portrait of a great church is crumbling today just like a toddler turns over the massive picture of a 750 piece jigsaw puzzle labored over by someone for weeks to get all the pieces together. Now it lays on the floor in a jumbled mess. What God meant to be his finest portrait of heaven on earth has now become a pile of disjointed intentions only fit to be swept up in the box of time and stored in the closet of nothingness if we do not recover our true reason for existence. I further fear the church has lost her relevance in our world due to two arenas of total defeat: the arena of compromise and the arena of carnality. We have laid our head like Samson in the lap of Delilah flirting with this world's God-defying ways and she has sheared the strands of our power. We stand powerless to turn back the tide of sin's cesspool because we take a bath in it every Friday and Saturday night before we go to church on Sunday.
David said, "I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people." Do we even know what a great congregation is today? Having begun in the Spirit shall we close out this age in the church finishing in the flesh? I hope not. I would hate to face Jesus with that record. I will be found leading a church when Jesus comes in New Testament greatness or be hiding in the woods in shame. What is a great church? When David speaks of the great congregation in this Psalm it is obvious that he means a great number of people since he says that very thing: "I will praise thee among much people." The congregation of Israel numbered in the millions. Yet, David did not mind to be totally different than the crowd. He speaks in this Psalm about those who are fighting him, devising his hurt. David was so strong in his stand for God that the people around him were mocking him and rejoicing when he had adversity. He characterizes himself as a "darling" to be rescued from the lions. I'll tell you today that the church, the true church needs to be rescued from the lions of business, worldliness, emptiness, coldness, and smugness. We need to repent, recharge, resurrect, and revive to the Lord's plan. I tell you I'm sick of humbug churches with tranquilizing preachers. God give us great churches with New Testament greatness. I want to give you six things God describes as a great church today as we take a short and quick journey through the book of Acts. You're going to find these Heavenly definitions of a great church in Acts 4, 5, 8, and 11. I will read the passages for you.
Great Power
First of all, a great church according to God, (not according to you or me, not according to the Tennessee Baptist Convention, not according to the local newspaper) has great power. Acts 4:33 says, "And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus." Folks, the key to New Testament greatness in the church is not in the implementation of programs but in the impartation of power from a mighty God. I've come to a time in my life and ministry where I absolutely do not want to do church at all without the power of God upon us.
Let me tell you how that is going to happen. It will happen the same way it happened in the first century church of the Bible. It will come by tarrying and telling. It will come by waiting and witnessing. It will come by experiencing and expressing. Jesus told His disciples to wait in the upper room until they were endued with power from on high by the Holy Spirit. In most churches today we wouldn't know the difference if the Holy Spirit went into retirement. If God doesn't show up we'll resort to plan B and just get on with the program. That is not greatness. That is foolishness. A great church according to God in the New Testament is a Spirit-filled church. But we don't even know what the term means. You can only be a Spirit-filled church as the believers in that church are Spirit-filled. A Spirit-filled Christian is not to make you a spectacle or an obstacle. It is to make you a miracle. Some folks think if you're Spirit-filled you'll have particular manifestations in your life which will mesmerize the congregation. I'm here to tell you that God doesn't fill you with His Spirit to show you off. God fills you with His Spirit to show off Jesus. You don't get the first-billing and anything that calls attention to you is no evidence of Spirit-given power.
That leads me to the second proof of God's empowerment to the church. I said it will come by tarrying and telling. God doesn't empower you to show you off but to send you out. God doesn't fill you to parade you but to employ you in the gospel witness. Notice what the verse says again. "And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus." Acts 1:8 says, "And ye shall receive power... and ye shall be witnesses."
"Portrait of a Great Church"
Psalm 35:18
I have been to some great churches in my life. In 1979, I had the privilege to go to the largest church in our denomination at that time, the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. My reason for going to that church was the reputation of the pastor, Dr. W.A. (Wally Amos) Criswell. He was known in our convention for being the champion of conservative theology and belief in the perfect inspiration of the Bible. We went to the early service and I discovered that Dr. Criswell only preached the 11 o'clock service so I didn't even get to hear him that day.
In 1981, I had the privilege to enter into two other great churches around Cincinnati, Ohio. My friend, Johnny Holloway, pastored the First Baptist Church of Dayton, Kentucky, just across the river from Cincinnati. In that church there were 10 old-time stained glass windows that towered on the walls of the sanctuary 15 feet tall. Each of those beautiful windows depicted some scene in the life of Christ. Johnny told me that the church had insured each of those windows for $100,000 apiece. The First Baptist Church of Dayton, Kentucky was known for its colored crystal worth a million dollars. Johnny was a pretty good preacher too. Johnny took me over into Cincinnati one day to a Catholic church. I stood there that day in that cathedral church admiring the massive ceilings some 200 feet high with all the Romanesque architecture. The windows had wooden doors that closed to keep the light out and those doors on the windows were at least 75 feet tall. That church was known for its building.
In 1997, I had the awesome experience to visit in Adrian Rogers church, Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. I have in my library several books by Rogers and also his predecessor, R.G. Lee. Dr. Lee preached a famous sermon all over this country called "Payday Someday." The sermon was preached over a 1000 times all over the world actually as R.G. Lee traveled 100,000 miles a year in his 18 year post-retirement ministry. You can almost hear him speak the sermon from the grave: "And now with the introduction of these four characters— Naboth, the devout Jezreelite—Ahab, the vile human toad who squatted befoulingly on the throne of the nation— Jezebel, the beautiful adder beside the toad—and Elijah, the prophet of the living God, I bring you the tragedy of 'Pay-day—Someday'." Bellevue Baptist Church has always been considered great because of her preachers. It is a sign of the times for sure that such a church in these days has begun to attack their preacher, Steve Gaines, just like the attack upon Jerry Sutton, at Two Rivers Baptist Church, another church famous for its evangelistic efforts through the years.
Men and women, I fear that the portrait of a great church is crumbling today just like a toddler turns over the massive picture of a 750 piece jigsaw puzzle labored over by someone for weeks to get all the pieces together. Now it lays on the floor in a jumbled mess. What God meant to be his finest portrait of heaven on earth has now become a pile of disjointed intentions only fit to be swept up in the box of time and stored in the closet of nothingness if we do not recover our true reason for existence. I further fear the church has lost her relevance in our world due to two arenas of total defeat: the arena of compromise and the arena of carnality. We have laid our head like Samson in the lap of Delilah flirting with this world's God-defying ways and she has sheared the strands of our power. We stand powerless to turn back the tide of sin's cesspool because we take a bath in it every Friday and Saturday night before we go to church on Sunday.
Someone has rightly said that if you put a ship in the water it will sail fairly well but when you get water in the ship she will sink. Our churches are sinking today, having no influence on sinners who need to get saved, because they see no holiness in our ranks. Furthermore, we have traded our birthright for a mess of pottage.
Aletheia Baptist Fellowship is all about going back to the old-fashioned ways, the unchanging truth of God's Book. The more I live and pastor the more I despise what some churches have become. We've got dance halls that still call themselves churches. We've got theme parks pumping out entertainment with God's money for youth and adults alike that still call themselves churches. The look like "great" churches because they've got big budgets, big buildings, big crowds, and big, I mean really big shows. Ed Sullivan would have been proud. The only thing is the modern day church today is big where the New Testament church was small and small where the New Testament Church was big. Aletheia Baptist Fellowship is all about forsaking the trends of the times and following the Truth of the Ages getting back to what the Bible says is a great church.
David said, "I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people." Do we even know what a great congregation is today? Having begun in the Spirit shall we close out this age in the church finishing in the flesh? I hope not. I would hate to face Jesus with that record. I will be found leading a church when Jesus comes in New Testament greatness or be hiding in the woods in shame. What is a great church? When David speaks of the great congregation in this Psalm it is obvious that he means a great number of people since he says that very thing: "I will praise thee among much people." The congregation of Israel numbered in the millions. Yet, David did not mind to be totally different than the crowd. He speaks in this Psalm about those who are fighting him, devising his hurt. David was so strong in his stand for God that the people around him were mocking him and rejoicing when he had adversity. He characterizes himself as a "darling" to be rescued from the lions. I'll tell you today that the church, the true church needs to be rescued from the lions of business, worldliness, emptiness, coldness, and smugness. We need to repent, recharge, resurrect, and revive to the Lord's plan. I tell you I'm sick of humbug churches with tranquilizing preachers. God give us great churches with New Testament greatness. I want to give you six things God describes as a great church today as we take a short and quick journey through the book of Acts. You're going to find these Heavenly definitions of a great church in Acts 4, 5, 8, and 11. I will read the passages for you.
Great Power
First of all, a great church according to God, (not according to you or me, not according to the Tennessee Baptist Convention, not according to the local newspaper) has great power. Acts 4:33 says, "And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus." Folks, the key to New Testament greatness in the church is not in the implementation of programs but in the impartation of power from a mighty God. I've come to a time in my life and ministry where I absolutely do not want to do church at all without the power of God upon us.
Let me tell you how that is going to happen. It will happen the same way it happened in the first century church of the Bible. It will come by tarrying and telling. It will come by waiting and witnessing. It will come by experiencing and expressing. Jesus told His disciples to wait in the upper room until they were endued with power from on high by the Holy Spirit. In most churches today we wouldn't know the difference if the Holy Spirit went into retirement. If God doesn't show up we'll resort to plan B and just get on with the program. That is not greatness. That is foolishness. A great church according to God in the New Testament is a Spirit-filled church. But we don't even know what the term means. You can only be a Spirit-filled church as the believers in that church are Spirit-filled. A Spirit-filled Christian is not to make you a spectacle or an obstacle. It is to make you a miracle. Some folks think if you're Spirit-filled you'll have particular manifestations in your life which will mesmerize the congregation. I'm here to tell you that God doesn't fill you with His Spirit to show you off. God fills you with His Spirit to show off Jesus. You don't get the first-billing and anything that calls attention to you is no evidence of Spirit-given power.
That leads me to the second proof of God's empowerment to the church. I said it will come by tarrying and telling. God doesn't empower you to show you off but to send you out. God doesn't fill you to parade you but to employ you in the gospel witness. Notice what the verse says again. "And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus." Acts 1:8 says, "And ye shall receive power... and ye shall be witnesses."
God never promises His power to any church who neglects God's primary business. There is no power for an entertaining church. There is no power for an ear-tickling preacher. There is no power for a social club church who thrives more on their in-house activities rather than out-of-the-house evangelism. We put the plug in the socket of God's power at the point of obedience to the Great Commission of God to go tell the world about Jesus. If we will not do that we're dead and there is no power in us. There is a lot of work in our churches but not much witnessing. You can't expect to have a great church that way. It's good to fix the chicken but its better to fix the soul of a man headed to hell. Its good to set up chairs for a meeting but its better to set up a meeting with an unbeliever so Jesus might become the Chairman of his heart. Are we going to do that at Aletheia or not? You may have a church the size of the Pentagon but if you do not have God's power you might as well be a doghouse, greenhouse, movie house, or madhouse as to claim to be God's house. The church needs to be a force for God not a farce to God. Greatness comes when it is obvious God's power is behind the operation.
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