Acts 2:42-47 (Church Focus)

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE CHURCH TODAY? (Part 1/4)

For most people, church is defined by the hundreds of thousands of chapels and steeples we see along city streets and rural countryside, where people gather to worship God and hear His Word preached. However, is that what church is truly all about?

From the beginning, Christianity began with believers in Christ coming together for far more than worship and a sermon. They prayed, studied God’s Word, held one another accountable, and lived life together in every way. There was no need for elaborate buildings, coffee bars, and high-tech production equipment, because the church existed in the heart of the people, not the things of this world.

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. (Acts 2:42–43).

Community fellowship was daily commonplace, breaking bread together and collectively pooling resources to help anyone in need, because 100% (not a 10% tithe goal) of everyone’s possessions were freely available for the benefit of the flock rather than personal gain.

“And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:44–47).

The church was much simpler in those days, yet flourished and grew exponentially despite intense opposition and persecution. How then did the present-day church get so far off track where our expression of faith is confined to 1-hour on Sunday mornings and seemingly nothing else?

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MARKETING & ADVERTISING:

Based on necessity, the focus of the church in Acts was spent on meeting basic, practical needs (food, water and shelter) as an opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the community. However, many churches today have shifted away from that blueprint for success by marketing and advertising themselves as the 1-stop shop where people truly encounter God.

What’s interesting is how churches today use creative marketing techniques and entertainment to draw people INTO their buildings. Why? Truth be told, because people expect the preacher to “make the sale” and convert the lost, rather than the people of God taking ownership upon themselves to evangelize and help lead people to Christ OUTSIDE the church walls in the community.

However, because we’ve determined that the church building is the epicenter of salvation conversion, believers feel no urgency or personal ownership to fulfill the Great Commission themselves because it is the church’s job (i.e. the preacher) to “save people” on Sunday morning.

The challenge is this places preachers on a dangerous pedestal where they are idolized for their celebrity, whether they like it or not. It also tempts them to water down God’s Word to keep positive momentum, numbers growing, and unbelievers feeling as if they ambiguously “belong” to the family of God “before they believe” when, as Pastor Brian Davis accurately explains in the attached video, nothing could be further from the truth.

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).

In other words, there is often little to no urgency today for people to reconcile their souls to God because the harsh and unadulterated reality of His impending judgment and wrath upon sinners is simply not preached. Why? Truthfully, for fear of being labeled as “unloving” to those walking through our church doors.

Therefore, many churches have either minimized or ignored altogether the reality of God’s wrath by focusing almost exclusively on His love instead, because it makes people feel more comfortable, included, justified, and accepted, rather than convicted for their sins and condemned to eternal hell apart from saving faith in Jesus Christ.

“Churching the unchurched is an absolute fallacy – it is like purposing to let the tares in. It is absolutely bizarre to want to make unsaved people feel comfortable in a church. The church is not a building – the church is a group of worshiping, redeemed, and sanctified people among whom an unbeliever should feel either miserable, convicted and drawn to Christ, or else alienated and isolated. Only if the church hides its message and ceases to be what God designed the church to be, can it make an unbeliever comfortable.”

— John MacArthur

MacArthur’s perspective might feel cold and harsh to some people, but keep in mind, God sends sinners to hell for their unbelief and hardness of heart, not the sins they commit. Therefore, true love is not telling people what they WANT to hear to feel better about themselves, but rather what they NEED to hear to save their souls from eternal separation from God.

Consequently, the church must love people enough to not give them a false sense of belonging and security apart from saving faith in Christ, but unapologetically warn them about God’s immense wrath and impending judgment in equal proportion to the amazing love and grace He offers freely to those who repent of their sins and accept His free gift of salvation.

“And Jesus cried out and said, ‘Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day’” (John 12:44–48).

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CONSUMERISM:

If we fast-forward 2,000 years from the founding church in Acts, we’ll find many churches today purposefully determined to align their ministry strategies with consumerism by doing whatever it takes to draw seekers in and make them feel comfortable and entertained.

What’s interesting, though, is that church was meant to be a place where predominately believers gathered to be strengthened, challenged, and poured into so that they could go out into the community and be the salt and light of Christ to the lost and hurting.

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:13–16).

However, many churches today invest the majority of their resources drawing people in to convert them (but under the cloak of consumerism to appeal to their cultural preferences), and elevate emotionalism in order to illicit a split-second decision (i.e. alter call) which may or may not be authentic at all, as explained by Pastor Michael Lawrence in the attached video.

Granted, there’s nothing wrong with striving for creating a memorable and hospitable experience on Sunday mornings. However, if most of the focus is placed on events which produce “feel good” experiences and appeal to people’s consumeristic and inclusionary preferences, at what point will churches realize they're doing more harm than good by continually telling people what they want to hear rather than what they need to survive this world?

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves” (Matthew 23:15).

Jesus warned of the dangers of basing ministry success on superficial QUANTITY (attendance, tithes, baptisms, salvation conversions, etc.) rather than the QUALITY of discipleship which yields fruit and testifies that conversion experiences were indeed genuine and authentic.

However, far too many churches focus the majority of their time, energy and resources creating an epic/hyped worship experience equipped with culturally relevant sermons, free childcare, coffee bar and snacks, merchandise tables, and a thank you gift for being a first-time guest.

In other words, it’s all about points of entry when, in fact, what sustains and undergirds the foundation of a Biblical church are the resources dedicated toward shepherding, discipleship, and equipping the saints to fulfill the Great Commission OUTSIDE the church walls, not within it.

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:11–14).

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GREAT COMMISSION:

The Great Commission is all about making disciples which requires vigilant and dedicated shepherding. However, chalking up another alter call conversion on Sunday morning and moving on to the next one without putting in the blood, sweat and tears to train converted souls HOW to live for Christ the rest of their lives is arguably the greatest sin churches commit today.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20).

Keep in mind, making disciples goes far beyond Sunday sermons. It is about hands-on labor in the dirty and messy trenches, walking alongside one another in our joys, trials, and struggles, and learning HOW to live for Christ together in unity and truth.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:16–17).

For the greatest tool in saving lost souls are born-again Christians who are sold-out for honoring God in thought, word and deed, and determined to walk in spirit and truth to glory of Jesus’ name. Therefore, we are called by Christ to go out into the world and make disciples by personally shepherding other Christ-followers to accept, own, and apply their faith according to God’s Word.

BOTTOM-LINE:

Church buildings allow believers the opportunity to gather and worship God in spirit and truth, but they are NOT necessary for a thriving faith community. Countless missionaries can attest that Christ preached in the home through the righteous example and spiritual leadership of a Godly husband and father is far more impactful on the kingdom than an elaborate building or celebrity preacher.

The bride of Christ (i.e. His church) exists in the hearts of believers who place eternal faith in Him for salvation and bear fruit, which testifies to heart transformation. Therefore, we need to stop concerning ourselves with doing whatever it takes to get people into our church buildings and simply meet them right where they are by practically being the hands and feet of Jesus and speaking truth in love and action.

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:43–45).

The lives of those who are spiritually lost will never be changed if we are not willing to walk with them through the valley and help guide them toward Christ and His Word, which requires us to step outside our comfort zone and live the Gospel out in our lives, first and foremost.

“A church that is busy ministering to itself, building itself up, edifying itself, and reaches no farther than its own four walls is self-centered. Training, edification and equipping of the saints is not an end itself, but is a means to an end. God’s goal is that the church be built up SO THAT it can effectively function in the world and carry out Christ’s will on earth.”

— J. Delany

Therefore, we must stop expecting Sunday morning services to do all the work for us. Rather, we must OWN our faith and refocus the church from being the epicenter of salvation conversion into what it was always designed to do: “To equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12). Why? So that we are Biblically trained to effectively minister to the lost, broken, and hurting OUTSIDE the church walls to the glory of Jesus’ name.

“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:17–18).

For the church is best served when it is focused PRIMARILY on equipping believers through discipleship and frequent community service projects to meet practical needs in the trenches with unbelievers, which provides an opportunity to share the life-changing message of God’s love to men and women who are in desperate need of repentance to escape His impending wrath and eternal judgment.