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Sunday, January 9, 2005
Rev. Dr. Harold E Kidd
Acts 11:1-3
GROWING BEYOND THE NUMBERS
So when Peter
went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said,
"You went into the house of
uncircumcised men and ate with them." (Acts
11:2-3)
Today
we celebrate the baptism of Jesus. And the thought I want to preach on this
morning has to do with the presence of the Holy Spirit who is ever at work in
our lives and in the church. Permit me to use as a theme “Growing Beyond The
Numbers”. This text comes directly following the conversion of the gentile
Cornelius in Acts 10.
The
book of Acts, when we read it from cover to cover, really has to do with the
Holy Spirit. Of how the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost and through
the coming of the Spirit God began to grow the church in many a wondrous ways.
Though titled the Acts of the Apostles, it would be more appropriate to title
this book the Acts of the Holy Spirit.
And
for those of us who tend to think of growth, who have been conditioned to view
growth by numbers alone, the book of Acts is a document about individual and
church growth and how the Spirit nurtures growth in a variety of ways. Amen. If
we narrowly define growth in numeric terms only, we miss a lot of the growth
which the Spirit is producing. The very name itself, "Acts" implies
growth, because growth is action. We do not grow without some type of change
taking place. Growth means that something is changing.
After
the Holy Spirit came, power fell on the church, and the character of the
church's life was changed, in that the members showed such caring for each
other that they held all things in common and distributed to anyone who was in
need. Growth came because of the spirit's presence. Power came because of the
Spirit's presence. Love and compassion of sharing resources came because of the
Spirit's presence. Worship took on a new vitality, because of the Spirit's
presence.
And
let me suggest to you, that as you read Acts chs. 2 - 10, in every chapter
there is an element of growth that is brought in evidence of the Spirit's
presence. In one way or another wherever the Spirit is present there is going
to be some evidence of growth. Permit me if you will to call the roll of how
the Spirit produced church growth in a number of ways that were not numerical.
In
Acts 2 we see the church growing in
spiritual power, in fellowship, in worship, in sharing, in love, and in numbers
-- all because of the Spirit's presence. It was by the Spirit that all things
happened. Notice the progression in these verses of how the Spirit produced
growth, verses 42-44: "All the believers were together, and had everything
in common, they ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and
enjoying the favor of all people. And the Lord added to their numbers daily
those who were being saved." The church grew in her fellowship and love
before it began to
grow numerically. When our
fellowship, care for one another, love, worship, and study of the word is
growing, the numbers will take care of themselves.
In
Acts 3 in the healing of the man born lame, the church begins to exercise its
spiritual gifts. As they ascend the steps of the Temple on their way to
worship, Peter and John are confronted by a lame beggar who asks them for
money. Peter responds, "Silver and gold have we none, but in the name of
Jesus, rise up and walk." In Acts 3 we see the church growing in her use
of the spiritual gifts, symbolized in this healing. Yes, we grow as we come to
discover and use whatever gifts the Holy Spirit has bestowed upon us for the
good of the kingdom.
In
Acts 4, we see the church growing beyond the fear of opposition. Fear stifles
growth. Though they had been placed in prison, yet by the Spirit, Peter and
John stood boldly before the Jewish Sanhedrin, giving testimony for the faith
they had in Jesus. Growth beyond the
things that might cause us to fear. We can never hope to reach
others for Christ if we are afraid to venture out into our communities, share
our faith, or take the gospel to those who we are afraid of -- the gangbanger,
the drug addict, the homeless person, the person suffering from AIDS. The
Spirit has to grow us beyond our fears in order to fully use us in witness to
Christ.
In
Acts 5 in the incident involving
Ananias and Sapphira, we see the church growing in its discipline, even of its
every own. We cannot grow without some degree of discipline. Without bringing
into harmony that which is out of step, out of sync, or out of touch. Yes,
sadly to say, there are times when the church must exercise discipline of those
who disobey church polity, or who intentionally live to create confusion. The
Spirit leads the church to grow in her discipline of those who abuse church
privilege.
In
Acts 6 we see the church growing as
it deals with the stuff of inner turmoil that arose because the Greek-speaking
widows felt they were being neglected in the daily distribution of bread. You
know, inner turmoil, stuff, will hamper growth unless we deal with it. And
sometimes growth comes simply in our ability just to deal with stuff. Amen.
In
Acts 7 we see the church growing as the Holy Spirit powerfully used Stephen
even though he had a so-called lesser office. He was a deacon. Just because one
holds the lesser office, does not necessarily mean that one has the lesser
anointing. One's position or title have nothing to do with one's anointing or
one's effectiveness. How many God-annointed saints have you known who may have
never held a church office of a high position but whose spirituality was a
guiding light within the congregation.
In
Acts 7 we see growth through anointing. In Acts 8: 9-20 there is the story of Simon who actually thought he could
buy the anointing. You cannot buy, or borrow, that which is spiritually given.
What God has for you is for you.
In Acts
8 we see the church grow as
persecution breaks out. The church gathered; now becomes the church scattered.
Believers must pick up their families and livelihoods and move to other regions
because they are being persecuted. And the witness of the church spreads by
growth through persecution. Isn't it strange that one of the ways the Spirit
grows us that we least view as opportune is when we find ourselves in difficult
circumstances.
Yes,
we're growing in character, growing in patience, growing in prayerfulness,
growing in faith. We're growing because we're going up the rough side of the
mountain.
In
Acts 9 we see the church grow with
the conversion of Saul who becomes Paul. I would term this kind of growth,
growth beyond our baggage of the past. In this context it means Paul had to
grow beyond the baggage of a personal past wherein he persecuted believers. He
had to grow beyond the baggage of a personal past, wherein he didn’t allow his
once-held position as a Pharisee nor his intellectualism prevent him from
receiving Jesus and the forgiveness that the Lord offered him. Amen. The church
as well had to grow in her ability to forgive one who had so passionately
persecuted her and sent many to their death.
And
for a moment can you imagine a church growing in numbers, but not growing in
her fellowship and love? Growing in numbers but not growing in the members’
using their gifts to serve one another? Can you imagine a church growing in the
pew count, but not growing under an anointing for service? Growing in the
statistical report -- well in 2004 we baptized so many and we confirmed so many
and we took in so many, and our finances grew by so many dollars -- but not
growing in her ability to deal with stuff; not growing beyond her fears? Well,
what are we going to do if so and so leaves? What are we going to do if the
pledges drop by 5%?
Can
you imagine a church growing in numbers but because of fear has become a
hostage to its own community? A church where members drive in by daylight and
drive out before sunset? A church that because of fear has become a hostage in
the very same community to which God has called her to be a spiritual light of
hope?
Can
you imagine a church growing in numbers, but showing no signs of growth in
being able to move into a future, because she is still tied to the past? Can
you imagine a church growing in numbers, but with the expectation that everyone
who joins us, has to be just like us? I wonder what kind of a church that would
be.
In
Acts 10 with the conversion of Cornelius, a Gentile, the church makes another
broad step in its growth. Lest we forget, the first believers were Jews who had
accepted Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. Consequently,
even though they were Jews who had accepted Jesus, many of them still practiced
the tenets and held on to the beliefs of their former Judaic faith.
And
is it any different today? For we can be believers in Jesus Christ but still
hold on to some of our beliefs and practices when we were a Jehovah's Witness,
or a Mormon, or when we were a Buddhist, or a Muslim? The Jews in Acts 11 were
like some today who believe in Jesus but who still hold on to many of their
former ways. Even though we are followers of Jesus, some of us are still
fighting ways of our upbringing, old habits, or lifestyles which have not yet
been conformed to the Will of Christ. Even though we are followers of Jesus,
just like these Jews, we still are in need of God expanding our level of
understanding. God expanding our theological boundaries. God expanding our
compassion and love that moves us to reach out to those who are spiritually
lost. God expanding our zeal for social justice. We're on our way, but we have
not yet arrived.
And
the Lord led me to review chs. 1 - 10 because each of them gives an
illustration of growth that comes in a way other than numeric. Which is to say
that numbers ain't all there is to
this thing called church growth or life. Dollars
signs ain't all there is to living a prosperous and or an abundant life.
Numbers and dollars are no sign of success in God's vocabulary. Statistics cannot always give us an
in-depth, up-close, and personal picture of the circumstances they seek to
describe. For statistics only deal with numbers, but numbers do not show faces
or families, genealogies or cultures. Numbers cannot show us a tear or a dream.
They cannot convey the misery of human suffering or the joy in laughter.
What
are you trying to say, preacher? Sometimes our perception, our view, our understanding
of this matter is too narrow. Sometimes how we choose to view something or
someone is too narrow -- boxed in, if you will. Even when the members of the
early church heard Jesus' command to carry the gospel to all nations, to
Samaria and to the far reaches of the world, they were thinking in terms of
carrying it to other Jews, like themselves.
In
Acts 11 the church and its members have another opportunity to grow, growth
beyond a narrow vision of God and of themselves. Narrowness stifles growth. We
can grow only as broadly as we think. What is narrow thinking? When you look at
this text, you see narrow thinking in action. Amen. When news reached some of
the Jewish members of the early church about the conversion of Cornelius,
rather than being excited that the gospel had made such an inroad into
unchartered territory, they became insulted and offended because they were
still functioning with the narrow vision that the gospel was for Jews only.
The
members of the church who were critical of Peter in baptizing Cornelius, were
functioning with a narrow vision of themselves as the people of God. God was
doing a new thing, reaching out to the Gentiles, but they could not receive it.
God was seeking to bring the Gentiles in, while these Jews were resolute to
keep them out.
To
grow beyond narrowness we have to grow beyond old feelings about ourselves and
others and begin to walk in the power and the victory we have in Jesus Christ.
Those who criticized Peter for taking the gospel to the Gentiles not only had a
narrow vision of themselves, they also had a narrow vision of God, Jesus, and
the Gospel.
They
were acting as though Jesus was their own personal possession, that his death
and spilled blood upon Calvary was only for their sins, that the resurrection
was only for their victory over death. They were acting as if the gospel of
salvation and deliverance was only for them. They were begrudging others for
receiving what they had received as if they were going to lose something they
had received if somebody else received it also. They were evidently not secure
in who they were as the redeemed children of God.
These
Jews who confronted Peter were so protective and possessive about what the Lord
had allowed them to receive, until they saw the gospel as belonging exclusively
to them. I remember as a young man taking my grandmother to her church one
Sunday, a leading AME church in Oakland, California, a numerically large
church. After we had sat down a woman came up to us and said, "Excuse me,
you are sitting in my seat.” And with a scowl of anger in her expression, she
stood there until we moved.
I
wonder … why do some use the word “my” in connection with what really belongs
to the Lord? Why are some so territorial and turf oriented? My ministry, my
money, my seat, my job, my title, my position, my responsibility, my service,
my pulpit, my kitchen, my church. As though the church was born through our
death, burial, and resurrection!
The
Good News of Salvation is that God has enough for everyone. God has enough
blessings, enough glory, enough power, enough titles, enough affirmation,
enough work, and enough positions for every person who is ready to receive
them. What God does for somebody else and what God gives to somebody else has
nothing to do with what God has for us and what God has given us. Instead of
functioning in a system of insufficiency where one cannot have unless someone
is denied, God functions in a system of abundance. God has so much to give that
everybody can have more than enough. For the earth is the Lord's and the
fullness thereof!