Biblical Teaching on Church and State

Karl Marx was once asked in an interview what his intentions were. Remember, Karl Marx was the person credited for inventing Communism.
Marx said his main goals was to dethrone God and to take down capitalism.
Notice the order – Dethroning God and then taking down the capitalistic system.
Now this last week you probably heard about the little controversy that we have had in the school that I am teaching in.
At Arab High School they have always had prayer before every football game over the PA system.
This last Friday we played Guntersville for the 80th meeting between the schools.
On that night things would be different. On this night there would be no prayer over the public address system.
A group based in Wisconsin informed our school district and school lawyer that they were going to take legal action against our school if we continued to pray.
This group is known as Americans for the Separation of Church and State.
This is a group that believes the myth that our Government should be totally free of any influence of religion.
They take a letter written by Thomas Jefferson that mentions a clause called the Wall of Separation and project that into our Constitution even though the constitution never mentions such a thing.
Most of us here know that our Constitution was based on and was influenced by Biblical Principles.
As a matter of fact constitutional experts will tell you that many of our principles come from the book of Deuteronomy. Much of modern case law is based on Hebrew case law.
Today’s sermon may seem a little odd or different but here is my contention.
The Bible tells us everything that we need to know about history, science, government and culture.
I believe like many of the Protestant Reformers and Reformers inside the Roman Catholic Church of the 1500’s that government and economics must be ruled by Biblical principles.
Views of the 1500’s that would influence our government:
1) Luther – believed that the King had complete rule over the church and this would be the system used In England for many years.

2) The Anabaptists- these are the folks that gave us the Mennonites and Amish believed that Christians had no role to play in government.
The felt that only non-Christians should serve in government and Christians should have nothing to do with voting or running for office.
3) Calvin the other great historical character in the Reformation believed that the Church and State should be separate
The state or civil government should govern the civil affairs of the church but stopped short of the pulpit.
The Pulpit was to inform Christian magistrates what a just and civil government should behave.
Calvin had no problem seeing a government that was separate from the civil government or in other words the government could not sponsor a state church and induce people to go to that church.
But what he did not propose was a Christ-less government – to the contrary – the Church and Scripture would teach government officials on how to rule.
The Church and Scripture would inform the government on what are good and just laws.
I guess you can see that it was Calvin that most influenced our founding Fathers.
John Quincy Adams said that the genius of the American Revolution was that we united the genius of civil government with the genius of Christianity in one indissoluble bond.
We as Christians need to be informed about these contemporary issues and what the Bible teaches about.
Today I want to share with you with what the Bible says about a national economy.
Does God endorse Socialism or Communism?
Part of this answer is found in that Communism is based on the premise that God does not exist.
Many are saying today that the bible teaches Socialism.
Lets go back to our early history here in America.
Back in the 1600’s those from Europe, who colonized America, had different visions of what kind of nation this was to be.
To the south, one of the first settlements by Europeans was in what is now known as Jamestown, Virginia. You can still visit that settlement today, and it is a beautiful and well kept memorial to the experience of those first few settlers.
A few years ago we went to Richmond, VA to meet Allison’s brother when he came home from Africa.
We went to Jamestown to see the famous sites there and we got to see the church at Jamestown.
But what few people know is that the settlement in failed for years.
For 40 years the settlers there were almost entirely dependent upon England for their survival.
There were two very basic reasons for this:
1st - God wasn’t that important to them.
There was ONLY one church and it was rarely well attended.
And 2nd - work was considered beneath many of those settlers.
The Europe of that day held to the idea that work was degrading.
The rich and powerful rarely stooped to dirtying their hands with common tasks because it just wasn’t done - those duties were reserved for the lower classes.
In fact, this idea was reinforced by the teachings of the church of that day.
Now many of the original settlers at Jamestown were Aristocrats of favored classes, thus they were accustomed to expecting others to do work for them.
That might have worked out, had their been enough “others” to do those common tasks, but as it was there weren’t enough workers to plant sufficient crops to support everyone who lived there.
As a result, little got done… and food was scarce.
So, if there wasn’t enough food from what they planted, where would these Europeans get enough to live one?
From the Indians. The settlers at Jamestown would often steal from the Indians, and sometimes even kill to get what they needed.
As you can imagine, this didn’t make them real popular with the surrounding tribes.
Now to the North, there was another colony at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts.
This one was made up of pilgrims that had been forced out of Europe because they refused to accept the teachings of many of the churches there.
You would think that this northern settlement would have faired better than the one at Jamestown, but actually it didn’t.
Initially the Pilgrim settlement nearly failed as well.
The first two years, their contract as a colony called for a socialist form of government.
• There was no private property.
• Everyone was required to work together for the common good.
• All goods and food were shared by everybody.
Because of the social makeup of Plymouth, many of these colonists began to realize they didn’t have to work very hard in order to be eligible for sharing from the common stocks… and so they didn’t work very hard. And sometimes they didn’t work at all.
After two years of socialism, their little community was on the verge of collapse.
Food was scarce, hunger was common, and moral was low.
Several years later, the Pilgrims began a custom that is still carried out to this day by their descendents (during the Thanksgiving holiday). They would put 5 kernels of corn on empty plates at the dinner table. They did this because that was often all the early Pilgrims had to eat for those first couple of years.
By the 3rd year, Governor Bradford began to realize things weren’t working, and so he ordered a change in the rules:
• Each colonist was given their own plot of land to work (private property)
• They could keep what they grew, or sell to others.
• And if a colonist didn’t work… they didn’t eat.
Almost immediately the Pilgrim colony began to prosper because unlike the aristocrats at Jamestown to the south, the Pilgrims were willing to work.
But the Pilgrims had another advantage over Jamestown.
Unlike the citizens of Jamestown, God was at the center of Pilgrim society.
And because God was at the center of their theology so was the Bible.
And the Bible taught that labor was NOT “common.”
Work was a good thing… and something that honored and pleased God.
The Protestant Reformation – from which the Pilgrims came – had long before discovered that the Scriptures approved of manual labor. By just going back to the Bible and asking questions… they discovered that:
1. God ordained that man should have personal possessions.
The Pilgrims realized this and championed the idea of stewardship of what little you had been given.
Some people falsely state that the Bible teaches that we should not have personal possessions but this is not true.
I think that we would all agree this morning that the very backbone of Scriptural Law is the 10 commandments.
We see in the 10 commandments the command – Thou shalt not steal.
For over 3000 years Jewish and Christian scholars agree that this shows that God meant for man to have personal possessions. Not to hoard or build up ridiculous treasures- but nonetheless – possessions to be stewards over.
Also we are told not to covet other people’s possessions. This shows that we are not to want what other people have so much that we would go out and get it.
Many liberal preachers and liberal politicians are telling us today that we need to go out and take what others have and give it to other people forcefully.
Basically there is a rising mindset where people covet what others have and want the government to go in and steal it for them and redistribute hard earned wages many times to give to people that don’t want to work or are leeching off of the system.
The other problem that we are dealing with and this is the Church’s fault is the government had taken over the responsibility of helping the poor.
This is the work of the Church – just as the Church would do a terrible job at providing for the national defense of this country, equally the government does a terrible job providing for the needy by empowering bad behavior.
In England in the 1500 Henry the VIII started this idea of social welfare when he confiscated property from the Church to redistribute to the civil government. Since that time governments have wrested the role of benevolence from the Church.
We are to take care of the needy and would do a much better job the the federal government.
Once recent study says that 1/3 of what the U.S government spends on welfare programs is wasted and goes into the cofers of special interest groups like ACORN and other corrupt beauracrats.
2. Work was ordained by God.
The pilgrims realized that word was from God.
In fact, in Genesis chapters 1 & 2 they found that God Himself worked. He created the world in 6 days… and on the 7th He rested. And on the basis of this, God taught that His people should also work 6 days… and rest on the 7th. Thus, if God worked at creating the world then work had to be a good thing.
2. They also found that the Bible taught that work was not a punishment.
Pilgrims also understood that work was not punishment
Granted, God brought punishment on Adam (and all mankind) by saying that – because of his sin - our work would often be harsh and fraught with difficulty. Fruitless labor is the curse NOT LABOR. But Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 taught that
Ecclesiastes 2:24-25
“There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.” KJV
Lesson: When God works in a person’s life, work can be/ and should be enjoyed!
3. God believed work was so important that He even instructed us HOW we could serve our employers so that we honored Him. Ephesians 6: 5-7
“Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men”
Once the Biblical view of manual labor was put into practice by the Pilgrims they developed what became known as “The Protestant Work Ethic”.
The Protestant Work Ethic was a dedication to work that was based on their theology. And that Work Ethic – in turn – led to what we now call “Capitalism.”
It’s hard to understand now, but back in that day the concept of Capitalism was virtually unknown.
Granted, there were those who could make money (as they do today), but it was a much rarer phenomenon.
The middle class (such as it was) was a fledgling concept, and the poor rarely had the opportunity to dig their way out of their poverty.
But once capitalism took root, the middle class grew rapidly and wealth was easier for the lower classes to create wealth for themselves and their families.
ILLUS: Just to understand the distinctiveness of Capitalism, it’s helpful to compare it with other world concepts of dealing with money:
For example, there’s socialism. In Socialism you have 2 cows, the government takes 1 cow and gives it to your neighbor.
Then there’s Communism. In communism you have 2 cows, the government takes both and gives you part of the milk.
With Nazism (in Nazi Germany under Hitler) you have 2 cows, the government takes both of them… and then shoots you.
In a Bureaucracy you have 2 cows, the government takes both, shoots one, milks one and pours milk down the drain.
Capitalism: (Of course we understand this one) you have 2 cows, you sell one, and buy a bull.
A German sociologist named Max Weber concluded that:
“Societies having more Protestants are those that have a more developed capitalist economy.” That’s because the Christian concept of work is the foundation of capitalism. Capitalism, and the Protestant Work Ethic which spawned it, were instrumental in making America into a powerful industrial nation.
And capitalism started out being based in the Protestant view of the Biblical notion that the work of the common laborer was a noble thing.
WORK IS GOOD and WORK IS GODLY.
And that Protestant Work Ethic was based on the Bible teaching us that God loved Labor/ and laborers.
Now this important, because:
Pure Capitalism - that exists without a Christian influence - can become an empty shell.
When Christianity is taken out of the picture of Capitalism… greed and selfishness take over.
Capitalism without Christianity can result in all kinds or evils.
You can end up with crooks like Bernie Madoff who steal vast amounts of money from investors, because they believe in Capitalism… but not in Christ.
You end up with large companies who misuse their workers and the environment because money is more important than anything. Capitalism is their god… not Christ.
You can end up with labor unions that care more about money and power… than the workers they represent because they often believe in Capitalism rather than Christ.
You end up with workers who care nothing for whether their company they work for. They don’t care if it makes any money, or if it even survives - just so long as they get their large raises and better benefits they feel they deserve. They deserve the advantages of capitalism, but rarely want the restraints of Christ.
And you end up with politicians who see successful businesses, businessmen, and workers as a constant source of bigger and more intrusive taxes which in turn results in fewer jobs for the unemployed, because they feel government has a right to its share of capitalist pie.
You could go on and on and on complaining about the weaknesses of capitalism.
But when you get right down to it, Capitalism’s greatest weaknesses are the same things that plague every aspect of our lives: Greed and selfishness.
That’s because greed and selfishness are powerful motivators.
If there’s money or power to be had someone will find a way to cheat, or steal, or sue to get at it.
That’s just the way it is in this world – because this world is filled with Sin.
But God says: I called you to be different.
I’ve called you to be salt and light in a world that is often foul tasting and dark. God calls us out of selfishness and greed to be His people
And that means He calls us to live in such a way that these sins don’t control us.
Of course, the most obvious people to have problems with selfishness and greed would seem to be the rich. So God tells rich people
1 Timothy 6:17-19
“…not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” What God tells the rich is this: Use your money for ME.
After all wealth comes from Him anyway… it’s His.
1 Chronicles 29:12 tells us that “Wealth and honor come from (God)…”
Use your money for ME (says God to the rich) and you can control your selfishness/greed.
Money isn’t the problem. It’s the love of money.
So if money is causing you to stumble in greediness and selfishness: get rid of it! Give it away!
But dealing with selfishness and greed isn’t just a problem for the rich.
Ephesians 4:28 says:
“He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.”
A thief is the ultimate example of greed.
If you have something valuable – he wants it
But then – that thief becomes a Christian. How can he change a lifetime of selfishness? How can he overcome the power of greed that has controlled him for so long?
Well… he should go out and get a job.
But why should he get a job? so he can SHARE.
John Wesley once said: Make the Most you can in your job, save the most you can, and give the most you can to the work of the Church.
The remedy is always the same.
Because the problem is always the same.
It doesn’t make any difference who you are… God calls you to live your life differently. And one of the most significant areas of your life you can do that in is where you work.
Are you an employee?
Then work for your employer like you were working for God.
“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men” Ephesians 6:7
ILLUS: One minister told about a young man named John who had just become a new Christian. Shortly afterward, John went to work for a local department store and greatly enjoyed the opportunities he saw there.
In time, however, John shared with the minister that he was afraid that he would soon be fired.
He couldn't understand it, but it seemed his boss was growing increasingly upset with him, and he thought it might be because of his Christian witness.
So the minister went to speak with the owner.
The owner however, gave an entirely different story. John had been an excellent worker to begin with, but after awhile he got too good at meeting with the customers - especially his friends. John was spending so much time with them that he was neglecting paying customers.
So the preacher went back to John, and wisely asked "John, if you were working for that department store and Jesus Christ himself were your employer, would you work any differently?"
"I sure would!" exclaimed John, "I'd work a lot harder."
Ephesians 6:9 tells employers how to treat their employees:
“…. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.”
But what if I’m neither an employee nor an employer?
Colossians 3:23 says: “WHATEVER YOU DO, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”
The difference between Christians and non-Christian workers boils down to who they work for.
If you’re a Christian – you work for God, if not you’re working for yourself.
As a Christian you should be working for God.
• whether you’re an employer
• an employee • or self-employed • or you are retired
If you belong to Jesus Christ - you are called to do - whatever you do with all your heart working for the Lord.
Now, there are many good Christians who don’t understand this principle. They really don’t THINK about God as being their employer in the jobs they have and – as a result - their lives can become boring.
Have you ever heard of someone saying their job was boring? (Of course you have).
If you were to ask these same people WHY they work at the jobs that bore them - they would probably reply:
* To pay the bills. * To keep a roof over their head.
* To earn enough from something they hate so that someday they can do what you really want to do
They have no higher reason for their work.
Their work has no little inherent value for them.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
The problem isn’t the job… it’s how they view why they work.
If they were change their focus, their jobs would suddenly take on greater value.
CLOSE: My point is this: God made America great, and He made it great because Americans learned the value of Godly labor.
And God can do same thing in our lives IF we make HIM our employer - and IF we do everything we do FOR HIM.
When we do that… others pay attention because they realize God has done something powerful in our lives. And they may want that for themselves as well.
But all of this began with the Gospel of Jesus Christ – the Pilgrims and others that wanted to form a City set on a Hill – this great American Experiment did so because their lives were changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel transformed them and Christians over the centuries and it can transform you too.

The Church is You

If you’re a Christian here to day – you are a part of the family of God. You are part of the Church.
At one point in His ministry, Jesus told His disciples that one of His purposes for coming was to “build my church” Matthew 16:18. And Ephesians tells us this church was so important to Jesus that “(He) loved the church and gave himself up for her” Ephesians 5:25b
The Church is the “Bride of Christ”.
And that Scriptural term “Bride of Christ” is meant to help us understand Christ’s love for His church in the same way a husband and wife would describe their love for each other during a marriage ceremony. Ephesians sums that love up by telling us that Jesus “gave himself up for her”.
Now we need to be clear on our definitions here because – over the centuries – many Biblical words have had their meanings altered and changed.
For example, the Bible uses the word “Church.”
What is the church?
That’s right - YOU ARE.
Over the years, the word “Church" has come to mean the building we meet in.
Someone will say (for example) “I’m going to church” meaning their building.
But as one poet put it:
“The church is never a place but always a people
Never a fold, but always a flock
Never a sacred building, but always a believing assembly
The church is you who pray, not where you pray."
A structure of brick or marble can no more be what a Church is than the clothing you wear would be who you are.
In short… Jesus didn’t die for a building.
He died for YOU. And He died for ME.
He died for people.
And the people who accept His forgiveness on His terms make up… the church.
Let us look at Romans the 16th chapter to get an idea of how God sees the Church
Romans 16: 1-16
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea ; 2 that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well. 3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles ; 5 also greet the church that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys my beloved. 10 Greet Apelles, the approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my kinsman. Greet those of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord. 12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, workers in the Lord. Greet Persis the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brethren with them. 15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
What I found intriguing about the passage we read today was that it contained references to so many people.
By my count - this portion of Romans 16 mentions twenty eight (28) individuals.
28 people!!!
And that doesn’t include the other 8 names Paul mentions in the rest of the chapter.
Thus, 1/16th of Paul’s letter to the Romans is dedicated to mentioning people by name.
Now, by a lot of standards… most of these folks aren’t very important.
* Granted, there is Priscilla and Aquila in verse 3. They are mentioned several times in the Bible and most Christians know them.
* Then there’s Rufus, who’s mentioned in verse 13. Most scholars seem to believe that he was one of the sons of Simon of Cyrene who carried Christ’s cross the rest of the way up Mount Calvary.
When the Gospels tell us of Simon’s doing this, it says he was the father of “Rufus and Alexander” (Mark 15:21) which indicates that his two sons were well known to Christian community at the time the Gospel of Mark was written).
* There’s another man named Epenetus in verse 5. What’s he famous for?
(He was the first convert in Asia)
* And lastly I noted that (in verse 7) Andronicus and Junias, are celebrities because they were related to Paul (a huge attention getter in itself) and that they are “outstanding among the apostles….” Rom 16:7
But out of 28 people… THOSE are ONLY ones that we would probably consider important.
All the others mentioned in this part of Romans 16 are largely forgettable.
I’ve never read their names anywhere else in the Bible. There are no famous stories of their great accomplishments and great faith.
But Paul – thru the inspiration of the Holy Spirit – mentions them.
All these names are in Scripture because God wanted them there.
What does that tell me?
Well, 1st it tells me that: God knows your name
God knew the name of each and every member who was part of the Church at Rome.
And God has always known His people by name.
• Back in the OT, the Prophet Nahum declared: “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knows them that trust in him.” (KJV) Nahum 1:7
• 1Corinthians 8:3 tells us: “… the man who loves God is known by God.”
• And Jesus told us "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep…” John 10:14
ILLUS: One woman told the time her professor in nursing school gave a pop quiz.
She said “I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: ‘What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?’"
She thought: “Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.”
Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
"Oh absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers you will meet many people.
All are significant.
They deserve your attention and care, EVEN if all you can do is smile and say hello."
She said “I’ve never forgotten that lesson… and I also learned her name was Dorothy
Romans 16 tells us God has never had that problem.
God knew the names of everyone in Rome.
And God knows your name too!
God knows YOU… and he knows your name.
And He knows your name because… you’re important to him.
That lead me to the 2nd thing Romans 16 teaches me:
There are NO UNIMPORTANT people to God.
When Jesus chose His twelve disciples… there wasn’t a one of them that would impress us. Most of them were uneducated workmen. Several were rough fishermen who spent their times out on the open water catching fish, and on shore repairing their boats and cleaning their nets.
One of Jesus’ disciples was a tax collector - everybody hated tax collectors. In fact, many people still hate tax collectors.
And one of His disciples was even a terrorist (Simon the Zealot).
These are not the people I would have chosen if I wanted to create MY church.
These were not impressive people.
But then God usually isn’t all that impressed by impressive people.
God is not moved by pedigrees, or diplomas, or someone’s status in society.
God isn’t overwhelmed by how much a person puts in the plate on Sunday.
ILLUS: Several years ago Beverly Steele Everett made the observation that God wasn’t perfect:
God is tone deaf: (did you know that?) He is so tone deaf that He thinks the off key singing of "Jesus Loves Me" by a 5 year old is as beautiful as a solo from "The Messiah" by a trained soprano!
God can’t count: If He could count, He would know better than to accept the dime from a preschooler with the same joy He accepts a thousand dollar donation from a rich man.
God can’t concentrate: He listens to millions of prayers ALL at the same time instead of concentrating on those from famous preachers or important church leaders.
God has poor eyesight: He doesn’t see us as we are, but keeps seeing us as we could be.
What she was saying was this:
The high and mighty people of this world are not the ones who impress God.
Instead He’s impressed by those who are active members of His church.
He is honored by those who honor Him with their lives.
The people who matter to God, are the ones who give Him their lives.
And those are the ones who get their names mentioned.
And that leads me to the 3rd thing I learned from Romans 16.
God didn’t mention the names of pew sitters.
God didn’t waste ink on folks who just “showed up”.
God didn’t save you and I so that we could just set around and get fed. He saved us so that we could learn to feed and care for others.
He saved us so that we’d have a purpose in our lives – so our lives would have meaning.
The people who were mentioned here in Romans 16 were workers.
• “Priscilla and Aquila… risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.”
• “Mary, (I don’t know who this Mary was… but the folks in Rome did) worked very hard for you.”
• “Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women… work hard in the Lord.”
• “Persis, (was) another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.”
• “Apelles was tested and approved in Christ” (he suffered for his faith)
• And a few of these people had church services in their homes.
These were the workers.
These were the “nuts and bolts” of the congregation.
These folks worked hard for God…
And so God honored them, by telling you their names
For all of eternity… their names are listed in your Bible BECAUSE God wanted you to know their names.
As far as I can tell, there aren’t any preachers mentioned in this list (except maybe Aquila)
And no one is identified as an Elder, or prominent teacher in the congregation.
Why would that be?
Well, I believe it’s because the church is not about some famous teacher or preacher.
It’s not about powerful Elders or Deacons.
The church is made up of people who don’t worry about power and position.
The church is made up of people who don’t need a title to get to work for God.
These are the folks who make God’s Church… a REAL church.
So, what kinds of things did these people in Rome do for God?
* Well, I suppose maybe they taught Sunday School
* Maybe they did Children’s Church, or VBS
Well now, come to think of it, they didn’t have stuff like that back then.
They didn’t have Sunday School/ VBS/ So – if they didn’t have those things - what did they do for God?
Oh – they probably taught the little ones because their faith was precious to them and they wanted to pass that faith on to their children.
And had Bible studies and church services at their homes and other places.
And they probably spent a great deal of their time praying and telling others about Jesus.
But those things were only part of their focus.
I believe there was one more thing that got God’s attention… and got their names listed in the 16th chapter of Romans. They “took care of each other”.
The Bible tells us that the focal point of God’s desire for the church was that we:
“Love one another” (1 John 3:23, 4:7, 4:11 and so many more).
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love” (Romans 12:10).
“Honor one another” (Romans 12:10).
“Live in harmony with one another” (Romans 12:16).
“Let us not judge one another” (Romans 14:13).
“Accept one another” (Romans 15:7).
“Teach one another” (Romans 15:14).
“Serve one another in love” (Galatians 5:13).
“Be kind and compassionate to one another” (Ephesians 4:32).
“Encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:25).
“Offer hospitality to one another” (2 Peter 4:9).
The Christians who actively sought to do these things for each other… these were the people who got their names put up in lights.
Now, I want to dwell on one more thing this morning.
If you recall, at the beginning of this message I explained that – over the centuries – many of the words and terms we find in Scripture have been changed and altered.
In the first couple of verses of Romans 16, Paul talks about Phoebe.
She was apparently the person who had brought Paul’s letter to the Roman church.
And Paul tells the Roman Christians to “receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints...”
Worthy of the saints?
What’s a saint?
You are. If you’re a Christian today… you’re a saint.
It’s one of those names that God gave to His people in that day.
• Acts tells us Peter went to the saints in a town named Lydda (Acts 9:32)
• Paul opened his 2nd letter to the Corinthians by addressing it to “the church of God in Corinth, together with all the SAINTS throughout Achaia”
• He did the same thing when he sent his letters to the Ephesians, Colossians, and the Thessalonians.
• AND Paul did the same thing with this letter to the Romans, in 1:7 he wrote: “To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints” Romans 1:7
You didn’t get your name on the list in Romans 16 if you weren’t a saint… because if you weren’t a saint – you weren’t a Christian.
A Saint is a term that has been in our news of late and we may want to take a minute and clarify what Paul means by a saint.
In the Roman Catholic Church the former Pope John Paul the 2nd was recently beatified with is a step in the Catholic Church in becoming a saint.
What do they teach that one has to do to be saint?
But the things the Catholics require of their “Saints” are the same things God requires of His saints.
You may think that is a weird thing to say from a pulpit but stay with me and this illustration will make sense.
God’s call is that all Christians will be saints – Set apart – Holy Ones Literally – that is our call.

1. One of the most basic requirements for a candidate to Catholic sainthood is to be dead.
You can’t be a Catholic Saint if you’re not dead (usually 5 years).
In the same way, you can’t be a saint for God without dying.
Romans 6:3-7 tells us as much:
“…don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”
In order to be a saint you have to die.
When something dies what do you do with it?
You bury it.
It’s a fact. If you’ve died to your sins
and been buried in the watery grave of baptism and risen up to a new life… you’re a saint.
2ndly a candidate for Catholic sainthood has to have been involved in at least 2 miracles.
And if you’re a Christian here today… that’s true of you.
You’ve been promised specific miracles that no other religion can give. And those miracles were promised to you… and to the 1st people to become Christians at Pentecost.
It tells us in Acts chapter 2 that when the crowd realized their sinful role in putting Jesus on the cross, they cried out…“What shall we do?” (Acts 2:37)
And Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38
According to that scripture…
• The first miracle that took place after your baptism was the total forgiveness of your sins.
God removed all your shame and guilt in a single moment because of the cleansing power of the blood of His Son Jesus. Those sins no longer exist. God has taken them away and buried them in the very depth of the sea. He’ll never remember them again. That’s a miracle!
• And the 2nd miracle was that God gave you the gift of His Holy Spirit.
Paul wrote: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
That to me is miraculous that God no longer dwells in a Temple made with hands but dwells with His people. Now God’s presence is with Us – the Church
Lastly… a Catholic Saint has to be “set apart” by the church.
That’s what “saint” means… someone who has been “set apart.”
In I Corinthians 6 Paul gives a laundry list of sinners who would not get into heaven, and then he says:
“And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were SANCTIFIED, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:11
And it’s because God has sanctified you (has set you apart) that you’ve become blessed by His forgiveness and that you’re part accepted by Him into His Family – the Church.
In HIS Church… there are no unimportant people
In HIS Church… He knows your name
And in HIS Church… He gives you the opportunity to make a difference in your world.
Do you see what the Church is all about –
Individual people that God has saved – God has set us apart, God has displayed us to the world as a miracle walking – a miracle of people saved and forgiven, A holy People – a royal priesthood

The Church Part 1 Mimosa AM Sermon 9.4.11

God’s Design for the Church
Many preachers break out with the same sermon each year when they talk about the Church – this subject is so worn out that many people tune out.
There was one college professor that went around lecturing to the US and used the same talk at each location. His chauffer told him that he heard it so many times that he could give the talk.
The man said – Well enough – you give the talk at the next location.
The professor dressed up like the chauffer and sat in the audience. The real chauffer did so well that the professor sitting in the audience was very impressed. The man was spot on.
Then when it was over to the real chauffer’s horror the Q and A session started. He hadn’t thought about how he would handle questions.
One man came to the mike and said, How do you propose reconciling the equation of e=mc squared to the photoelectric effect.
The man laughed and just threw back his head and said that is so simple I will have my chauffer in the audience answer your question.
Well I hope that this is not some dull worn out lecture for you to listen to.
Several years ago there was an article in a magazine by a woman who told of her father having returned from the war. He, like many men, wanted to buy tools for his workshop, and one of the tools he wanted was a drill press. But tools like that were scarce and expensive. He couldn’t afford to buy one, so he built his own and used some unusual parts to build it:
• an old washing machine motor,
• a Model A Ford transmission,
• a car jack,
• a motorcycle kick-starter
• and a burned out drill chuck.
She said that he used it for more than 50 years and... it still works.
Now I don’t know HOW that soldier put all of that together… but I was intrigued by the fact that this man knew WHAT he wanted and he knew how to build it. He wanted a drill press, but he didn’t build it out of parts you and I would have expected him to use. He used the materials he had on hand. He used common, unimpressive, used equipment.
Now I’m fairly certain it wasn’t pretty… but it worked.
In fact it worked so well… it’s still working. Years ago, God knew what He wanted He wanted to build a church.
And God (being God) could have built that church out of any materials He wanted. Think about How God built His Church. He knew what he wanted:
He had a PURPOSE for the Church
He knew Who we wanted to make the church up of:
He had PEOPLE for that Church – God took the people that had been marginalized by the world, and had been discarded and used them for His Church. God didn’t take the wisest or most powerful of the 1st century world to build His church but took regular people from Galilee to start this movement.
A Good Ad agency would have told God to make sure He did it right!
They would have done a demographic study to find and target a specific age group.
They would have managed the message so that it would appeal to that target audience.
And they would have told God to make sure this new church had…
• The best music program and song leaders
• The best youth program
• The best ministries for young adults/ senior adults
Then there would be billboards to buy, flyers to pass out.
And they’d want to build an impressive gymnasium so they could have an athletic outreach to the community. And of course, there would need to be a building program so they could have a state of the art Worship Center and Sunday School space.
Now, (for the most part) most of that stuff is ok I guess. There are many good churches who do those very things are very successful for the Kingdom of Christ.
But – we all know God didn’t do it that way.
No, God didn’t follow the advice of a powerful Ad Agency or Church Consultant Group. In fact He built His church out of common, ordinary, unimpressive materials.
It shouldn’t have worked… but it did!!
And it still works!!!
But why? Why did it work?
What was it about what took place on Pentecost that gave the church such powerful growth and success?
Well, 1st - God was in it.
If your remember Gamaliel’s advice to the Sanhedrin when they brought Peter and John before them.
Gamaliel gave this advice in Acts 5
Speaking of the Church he said:
Acts 5: 38-39
38 "So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown ; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God."
If God is in it there is nothing that we can do stop it. For the Church to be successful God must be involved.
Acts 2:47b tells us “…And THE LORD ADDED to the church daily such as should be saved.”
Many good churches can tend to overlook this.
I mean we create our programs, we stage our events, we schedule Gospel Meetings, VBS programs.
We just finished our VBS this summer and our Gospel meeting and they were both great things that needs to be done.
We should seize every opportunity we can to bring people to Christ.
When Peter saw the crowd had gathered at Pentecost he seized that opportunity and began to preach to them.
Just like Peter, we should always seize every opportunity we can to reach people for Jesus.
But after having seized all those opportunities, we tend to ask ourselves…
“What more can WE do to reach the lost?”
Now that’s a legitimate question.
But it CAN overlook a more BASIC question:
“Where’s God in all this?”
When I read Acts 2:47 and it said “the Lord added to the church daily” my mind drifted back to a story in the Old Testament.
In Genesis 6:22 we’re told: “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”
Noah did his part. He built the ark, He prepared stalls for the animals.
He brought in food to feed them and his family.
And as he worked, he preached to anybody who’d listen
BUT THEN we’re told:
“Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, male and female, CAME TO NOAH and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah.” Genesis 7:8-9
The animals… CAME to Noah?
He didn’t go out and get them?
Well, that’s what it says.
But if Noah didn’t go out and get the animals… how did they end up coming to him???
God brought them to him.
THE LORD added to the ark… such as should be saved.
When the animals came to Noah he seized that opportunity and put them on the ark
Now this is the point to understand.
1. Noah did his part – he prepared for the ones God would bring.
2. God did His part – He brought the ones who were ready to be saved.
3. Then Noah seized the opportunity to lead them to salvation.
In the same way, that’s how the church will grow best
1. We need to do our part – we need to prepare for those God will bring
2. BUT then we need to depend upon God to do His part… bringing others to us.
Now – that being said - the question is… what should we do to do OUR part?
The answer is found in verse 42
We find there that the first thing they did was focus on the Apostle’s teaching
Acts 2:42 tells us “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…”
Not MY teaching.
Not the teaching of a prominent person or commentary, or book.
But those resources should never be their MAJOR focus.
The principal foundation for the teachings of any good teacher or preacher MUST BE the Apostolic teachings.
Now where am I going to get Apostolic teachings from?
The Bible… and specifically the New Testament.
Why would focusing on the “Apostles’ teaching” be so important?
Well, if I focus on any other authority for the foundation of what I say from this pulpit, I run the risk of leading astray the people God brings to us.
But another aspect of Christian worship is the public reading of Scripture.
The Apostle’s teachings went into the Bible – the Bible is a sacred document , it is the powerful word of God.
Paul tells Timothy the following:
1 Timothy 4: 13-16
13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. 14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. 15 Take pains with these things ; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. 16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching ; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
Paul gives Timothy some specific commands that we need to heed to.
He tells him not to neglect the public reading of Scripture.
What is the best way we could follow this command today?
How could we best read the Scripture publically ?
How about in worship assemblies.
Here is another area that I think the church is starting to slip in some ways. WE no longer put emphasis in the public reading of Scripture.
If I had my druthers we would have readings every Sunday from the Old Testament and the New Testament
We know that the earliest Church would read entire Epistles from Paul or another apostle.
Reading the Scripture was so important to them.
We see that Paul gives Timothy a command to read it publically.
Where does faith come from? It comes from the Word of God.
The words for worship in the New Testament are two fold
One is Proskeneou – which means literally to kiss the ground
The other is Latrea – which means the work of the people
That gives us some idea that worship is to be reverent – before God with penitent hearts,
It also tells us that worship should be congregational – every chance we get to make our worship more congregational – we should
Every time we can get more men involved with prayers, presiding over the Table, reading Scripture publically, and even making worship responsoral.
This may go beyond many of your comfort zones but much of worship in the synagogue and the early church was responsoral and the reason was to get the church involved in the worship
The book of Timothy is written in this format – Paul would state in Timothy – this is a true and trustworthy statement – and the response was Christ came to save all sinners –
That was something we know for a fact the early church did.
We may learn something from them – how powerful would it be if the entire congregation recited Scripture together – Go back in time to the early days of the Restoration movement – go back to the Early Church and you would see just that –
Congregational recitation of Scripture together – God’s people saying God’s word together –
We must fight the cultural slide to make worship entertainment – or preacher centered – Worship needs to become the work of the people.
One of the main reasons we don’t have choirs or praise teams is that we believe singing should be the work of the people the entire congregation.
Let us get back to that as part of our deep roots.
The 2nd thing we can do is devote ourselves to “fellowship”
Acts 2:42 says the early church “… devoted themselves to… fellowship”.
It doesn’t matter how good a church’s programs and events may be, if the people don’t get along with each other - if we don’t create an atmosphere where people enjoy themselves & feel welcome – newcomers won’t stay.
The advantage here is – you folks take that seriously.
From the moment people step thru our doors, visitors (& members) are made to feel welcome.
Acts 2:44 says “All the believers were together and had everything in common.”
And verse 46 tells us “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts”
Church wasn’t just something they did on Sunday morning.
Being with other Christians wasn’t just something they did once in a while.
They were almost always TOGETHER.
Other Christians were the center of their lives.
In their spare time they preferred to be with their Christian friends.
But even more than that… they were there for each other.
Acts 2:45says they went so far as to “(sell) their possessions and goods, (so they could give) to anyone as he had need.”
So the early church devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching and to fellowship. But it also says “They devoted themselves to the breaking of bread.” Acts 2:42
They felt communion was important.
In Acts 20:7 tells us “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.”
On Sunday (the 1st day of the week) the church gathered specifically to have Lord’s Supper.
It doesn’t say they got together to hear a sermon (tho’ they did hear one from Paul).
It doesn’t say they got together to sing some songs (tho’ they might have).
They came together for the principal purpose of taking communion.
There are churches these days where that isn’t true.
There are churches where the Lord’s Supper has been shouldered to the side.
They either don’t want newcomers to take part in their special activity, or they feel that doing it in worship interrupts the “flow of worship”. And so they relegate it to a Sunday Night or Wednesday night so that it won’t interfere with their “seeker sensitive” worship services.
That’s truly sad.
Many modern churches don’t feel it is that critical.
They have more important things to do.
But the early church felt Communion was so important they met EACH SUNDAY to partake.
But why?
Why would the Lord’s Supper be so critical to “doing their part” to prepare for the ones God would bring to them for salvation?
Well, Paul wrote: “… whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:26
Every Sunday that someone comes thru those doors – they are confronted by the most important fact of our faith…
Jesus died for us!
There might be some mistakes in the bulletin… but Jesus died for us.
The song service might not move us … but Jesus died for us.
The sermon might not be a great sermon… but Jesus died for us.
Jesus died for us, and we proclaim that every time we take of communion.
Donald A. Nash told the story of Robert Tinsky. Tinsky was raised a Jew. But he became dissatisfied spiritually, so he visited a Christian Church for the first time, seeking some religious truth.
He was astounded by the observance of the Lord’s Supper. He didn’t understand it.
He asked some young people seated near him what it meant, and they told him the gospel story as portrayed in the loaf and cup.
He was amazed that there was a God who loved mankind enough to give His Son to die for us and at the wisdom that originated such a living memorial.
As a result he became a Christian and a eventually a faithful preacher of the gospel
The question is to us tonight is that when someone comes in our fellowship do they understand what is going on in the Lord’s Supper.
Are we just speeding through it in our worship? I would propose to you tonight that we don’t emphasize the Supper enough.
We should stop everything – Read the Scripture of institution, explain what is going on in the Supper.
Preach the Cross of Christ and then partake of the Supper.
Our actions speak louder than words – If we go through the motions of communion, we don’t take it serious it tells everyone exactly what we think.
I have heard people the visit us that take the communion periodically say, that at least they take it serious when they do take it.
That to me is like a dagger when I hear that – I would say good point on taking it serious but you stand outside of Scripture and history of Christianity if you don take it weekly.
We should almost rather die than miss weekly communion. In the early Church deacons would be sent out to give communion to the people that missed it that very day.
This is in the ancient world without methods of quick travel. Now that tells you that they took it serious.
I know yall can tell that this is my pet topic but I am really afraid that Churches are not taking communion serious.
So the early church devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread… but it was the last item listed in verse 42 that caught my attention. And it caught my attention because I felt maybe I haven’t done enough of this.
It says “They devoted themselves… to prayer…”
Now it’s not that I don’t pray.
And it’s not that I don’t pray a great deal.
It’s just that I’m pretty sure I don’t pray enough like they prayed.
Too often Christians simply focus on praying for the sick and hurting.
We often do that during our prayer time in worship.
And that’s GOOD praying – we ought to do that!
But I’ve become convinced that it’s the BEST praying we could pray
Paul wrote: “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, WORDS MAY BE GIVEN ME so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel” Ephesians 6:19
He wanted them to pray so that he might be given the words to seize every opportunity to bring people to Christ.
Again he wrote to the church at Colossae:
“And pray for us, too, that GOD MAY OPEN A DOOR for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.” Colossians 4:3
He wanted the church to pray for him that God would open a door so he could seize every opportunity to talk to others about Jesus.
Max Lucado told of a church in Scotland back in the 1940’s that was struggling to keep the doors open.
A couple of its members were two older ladies who were invalids and couldn’t get out for worship any longer.
But these ladies refused to allow their infirmities to get in the way of serving their God.
They became convinced that their community needed Jesus desperately and they were going to do something about it. They were going to pray.
They determined to make their house a house of prayer.
Around the clock they prayed for God do something powerful.
Then one day, one of the ladies became convinced that God wanted a revivalist by the name of Campbell to come and hold meetings at their church.
They talked to their preacher and he contacted Campbell… but Campbell was unavailable. He was booked up.
The women refused to give up in their prayers however… and it wasn’t long before – oddly enough – some of Campbell’s other revivals became cancelled and he decided to accept the invitation of that small church.
He arrived and held 5 weeks of meetings.
The Revival was so well received that hundreds showed up each night. And lives were so changed that many of the local taverns had to close up because they lacked patrons.
One might think it was because of the powerful preaching of a renowned revivalist.
But in reality it was because of the faithfulness of two invalid older ladies who dedicated themselves to prayer.