Feb 02, 2014
Acts 2:43-47


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Acts 2 opens with the Holy Spirit being poured out upon these 120 followers of Jesus. In response to the crowd that had gathered Peter preached an incredible sermon. Then we see the Spirit again move and another 3000 were added to their ranks. Following this....


Acts 2:43, “Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.”


The phrase “then fear came upon every soul” presents an interesting transition from the results of Peter’s sermon and the description he’s just provided of the operations of this new church: “That they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” It would seem before continuing with his description of the daily life of the church, Luke takes one verse to make sure his readers are aware that not every reaction to what was happening was “hunky-dory.” He’s prepping you for the events of chapter 3.


Unpack the Text 


“Fear” is the Greek word “phobos” meaning “that which strikes terror.”



“Came upon” is the Greek word “ginomai” meaning “to arise upon.”


“Every” is the Greek word “pas” meaning “collective.”


“Soul” is literally “psychê.”


Luke is telling us that what began on Pentecost with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit had created an atmosphere by which “terror arose within the collective psyche of Jerusalem.”



Question: Why were people terrified by what was taking place? 


Answer: Though there was no way people could dispute the reality that something miraculous was happening for “many wonders and signs were done through the Apostles,” what became terrifying was the reality you couldn’t attribute what was occurring to the work of any one man like you could have with Jesus or John before Him. It became evident to the masses that one supernatural force was singularly working through a multitude of people.... meaning there would be no way to stop it! Note: These miracles were being “done through the Apostles.”



Luke has already provided two characteristics of this church:

1. Unity! Acts 2:1, “They were all in one accord.”

2. Community! Acts 2:42, “They continued steadfastly in fellowship.”

Now he describes the practical manifestation of this “unity” and “community.”


Acts 2:44-45, “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.”


Communism states, “What is yours is mine.” Capitalism declares, “What is mine is mine.” But Commonism simply affirms, “What is mine is yours.” Luke is describing a beautiful manifestation of their “koinônia.” They communally cared for the needs of all.

Mark Driscoll tweeted this week, “The difference between a tax and a tithe is love. The government will take your tax. God invites you to give your tithe out of love.”

Note: This verse should not be used as justification for “Christian communes.” There is no evidence that this demonstration was anything more than a temporary expression of “koinônia” designed to meet a temporary need within the church. It could be that with so many “out-of-towners” in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast, this verse simply describes the general hospitality these Christians were showing to each other. Actions akin to saying, “Mi casa su case!” Also.... There is no evidence “commonism” was the ongoing practice of the church.


Acts 2:46-47, “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”


Over the last 50 years there have been two unique trends within Christianity: (1) The rise of the modern “Mega-Church,” and (2) the rise of the “Home Church Movement.”

The Hartford Institute for Religion defines a “Mega-Church” as a Protestant congregation with a sustained average weekly attendance of 2000. In 2013, the average weekly attendance of these “Mega-Churches” was 3,943 people.

What I find most fascinating is that.... According to Hartford “there has been a rapid proliferation of mega-churches in the US since the 1970's.” In 1990, there were 350. By 2000, the number rose to over 600. Today, there are nearly 1600! Researchers explain that this phenomena is “a unique response to distinctive cultural shifts and changes in societal patterns throughout the industrialized, urban and suburban areas of the world.”

Because of the unavoidable autonomy the individual attendee is afforded in a sea of so many people - coupled with the obvious lack of Biblical community many of these mega-churches can provide for their members as a matter of functionality, the “Home Church Movement” was developed as a counter-reaction to the Mega-Church phenomena. Proponents of this movement claim that small, home churches are more preferable than large mega-churches since the home environment is more conducive for genuine community and effective outreach. To justify this position, they argue that the “Home Church Model” is more consistent with the Apostolic church presented in the book of Acts.

Question: Does the New Testament church align itself more with the “Home Church Model” or the “Mega-Church Movement?”

Answer: The church of Acts is more in line with the “Mega-Church Movement?”

According to Acts 2:46, this new church of 3120 members (a mega-church by today’s standards) met together corporately “in the temple” since this would have been the only location in Jerusalem able to accommodate such a large number of people. Furthermore, it would also seem based upon the context and precedent of Acts 2 that this first church met together corporately “in the temple” for the specific purposes of worship, the study of God’s Word, communion, and prayer.

The challenge for the early church is the same for today’s mega-churches. How do you successfully facilitate “koinônia” when there are so many people attending? According to the same verse, these other more individualized functions of fellowship were reserved to the activity of smaller “house to house” communities. I believe the recent trend within some of these mega-churches to prioritize “home fellowships” or “community groups” in addition to the corporate gathering of believers on Sunday, finds itself consistent with the Biblical model of the church established in Acts 2. That said.... the notion that “meeting in the home” can or should act as a replacement for the corporate gathering of the church on Sunday has zero Biblical justification.


Luke closes the chapter by telling us that when functioning according to this blueprint.... “The Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

One of the negative, unintended consequences of the rise of the Mega-Church is that somehow numbers have become the best way to evaluate a ministries effectiveness. Since this has become the case, “Church Growth” has become our obsession with developing creative solutions to “increase attendance” as our chief pursuit.

Now in fairness, numbers are a tricky way of evaluation. It is true that a “growing church” is an indicator of a “healthy church.” The old saying is correct, “Healthy sheep reproduce!” Meaning there is nothing wrong with the desire to see the church grow! It’s even nice when the church experiencing growth is the one you’ve chosen to be apart of! That said.... the problem with the obsession of numbers is that we have failed to consider that “church growth” doesn’t always guarantee “church health.” As we’ve seen with steroids and human growth hormone in Major League Baseball, growth in and of itself can actually be detrimental to a person’s health.

Think of the complexity of numbers this way.... Since a “healthy church” will always be a “growing church,” we can use numbers as a way to measure success. However, since a “growing church” is not automatically guaranteed to be a “healthy church,” numerical growth can become incredibly misleading.

This is the reason the “how” and “why” behind numerical growth is the only real way you can evaluate the “health of a church” and determine the extent of that ministries true effectiveness.


1. When determining health we should consider “how” the church is growing.

In regards to this church, we’re told “the Lord added to the church....” This means “numerical growth” was to be seen as an indicator of “church health” because Luke directly attributes it to being a work of Jesus and not a work of the church! This church grew as a direct byproduct of Jesus adding to the church. It was a work of God and not a work of man! The church in Acts wasn’t growing because of a slick marketing campaign or some brilliant advertisement devised by the creative team. Peter was not Don Draper and the rest of the Apostles were not Mad Men. Though this church had solid leadership, you also can’t attribute the growth to the magnetism of any other charismatic leader but Jesus Christ Himself!

Sadly, many Mega-Churches can and do directly correlate their growth to a specific program, person, initiative, or characteristic of the church. When asked in an interview by Fox 5 to explain the incredible growth Hillsong Church NYC has experienced in 3 short years, Pastor Carl Lentz explains that Hillsong’s rapid growth and diverse congregation is largely due to the church's location in a city known for its diversity. He said, "I think it's less to do about us and more to do with New York City…. It's more about the fact that New York has a spectrum of people so we should have the whole spectrum in our church."

Sadly, many Mega-Churches also rise and fall because of a cult-like following of a celebrity pastor that can tickle ears, move emotions, and invoke devotion. In the study I cited earlier, Hartford Institute made this observation.... "Though evidence suggests that mega-churches can remain vital following a shift in leadership from the founder to his successor. Few of them have been exceptionally large for longer than the tenure of their current minister.”

I understand why leadership remains vested, but let me ask the attendees.... Do you want to be apart of a work of man’s ingenuity or a work produced by God’s direct, supernatural involvement? I’m of the opinion that if you can’t directly cite the growth of your church to Jesus, then why be involved at all!


2. When determining health we should consider “why” the church is growing.

One of the big issues I have with this entire topic is the reality that many churches with suspect methodology, theology, or leadership still grow to reach enormous numbers.

Lakewood Church: Pastored by Joel Osteen boasts 43,500 attendees.

North Point: Pastored by Andy Stanley boasts 30,629 attendees.

World Changers: Pastored by Creflo Dollar boasts 15,000 attendees.

New Birth Missionary: Pastored by Eddie Long boasts 12,000 attendees.

Until the church fired Rob Bell over his book “Love Wins” Mars Hill located in Michigan boasted 10,000 attendees with a heretic serving as the pastor.

When trying to wade through the complexities of evaluating church by the numbers, we would be wise to consider this important question.... With whom are the membership rolls increasing? Understanding who attends and why is just as important in determining the health of a church as how many people are showing up!


I am convinced there are churches experiencing growth because they’ve produced an environment that appeals to the “Experience Junkie.” For the sake of illustration we’ll refer to the churches that cater to these people as the “Low Rise Church” and the leadership behind them as “Dealers.”

An “Experience Junkies” is a person who craves above all else the chemical high caused by spiritual experience. As with all “junkies” these people seek out a good “Dealer” who can provide whatever stimulant is required to make them feel good. If the “Dealer” provides the right fix, the “junkie” will keep coming back for more!

Understand, the “Low Rise Church” has been designed by creative “Dealers” to be the location whereby these “Experience Junkies” come to get their next spiritual hit. Through the emotional stirring of music, the stimulating awe produced by cutting-edge technology, and the inspiration yielded by spiritual antidotes (there is often a social cause tossed in to make a person feel like they’re making a difference) the “Low Rise Church” is designed to leave the “junkie” with a sense of euphoria.

It should also be pointed out that as a matter of wise business, most “Dealers” do not double as moralist. “Dealers” don’t feel a sense of obligation to notify the “junkie” that their behavior indicates a serious problem that may prove detrimental to health. This is why the “Low Rise Church” service aims at creating a high while avoiding any downers. You will never hear one of these “Dealers” addressing core problems like sin, rebellion, judgment, conviction, consequences, etc. The “Low Rise Church” experiences growth because they feed the need of feeling spiritual, while never addressing the reality of being spiritual! With this in mind, these “Experience Junkies” are always looking to attend the church that is new, trending, and most exciting. Basically, they’ll gravitate to whatever “Low Rise Church” is cooking up the newest product!

Though the “Low Rise Church” experiences growth, a church model with “Dealers” facilitating “Experience Junkies” is hardly a remedy for health!

You see as with any “junkie” at some point the chemical reaction you’re inducing will naturally normalize. This means whatever the “Low Rise Church” was doing to stimulate the audience is no longer producing the same high. What happens next is messy.... An unsatisfied “junkie” will either demand a new experience forcing the “Dealer” to come up something fresh and new, the “junkie” will simply leave to find a better “Dealer”.... maybe the one at the “High Rise Church,” or the church will wise up and put everyone through detox.

This is why Scripture encourages us to worship God in both “Spirit and Truth!” I hope you understand the church does not exist to make the audience feel good. Rather, the church exists to encourage believers to live a Christ-centered experience tethered to the reality of God’s Word!


I am also convinced there are churches experiencing growth because they’ve produced an environment that appeals to the “Run Away.” Once again for the sake of illustration we’ll refer to these churches as the “Brothel Church” and the leadership running them as “Misters.”

In most instances a Brothel only exists as a matter of last resort for a person. The “Mister” in charge has no interest in the longterm health or prognosis of those who come to him, rather he exists to facilitate a mutually beneficial, temporary solution. It’s interesting, but the “Brothel Church” is successful because they create the perfect environment for people seeking to escape from accountability or authority at the church they’re presently attending.

Therefore, the “Brothel Church” appeals to the malcontents who finds it’s easier to run away from their problems as opposed to addressing them head on! These “Run Aways” tend to be people who seek to be accepted as they are rather than being challenged to be something better! Since the “Brothel Church” will accept anyone without preconditions and will allow that person to do whatever they want as long as their service proves equally beneficial for the “Mister,” by design the “Brothel Church” is ideal for the “no one has the right to tell me what to do crowd.”

Though the “Brothel Church” experiences growth, a church model that has “Misters” enabling “Run Aways” is hardly a remedy for health!

It doesn’t take a rocket-scientist to realize that a church full of people running from their issues is not a remedy for success. Tragically, the “Brothel Church” ends up being nothing more than a cesspool full of hurting, damaged people serving the needs of the “Mister” but never receiving real care themselves. Yes, the “Brothel Church” might give a person a place to go and the “Mister” might accept them as they are, but the best place for the “Run Away” is often to return home and face the very thing they were running from in the first place.


Finally, I am convinced there are churches experiencing growth because they’ve produced an environment that appeals to “Everyone.” Let’s refer to these as the “Circus Church” and the leadership behind them as “Ringmasters.”

At the opening of a circus, the “Ringmaster” enters the arena declaring, "Come one, come all!" His job is to ensure that everyone attending feels welcome and comfortable. Sad to say, some of the largest churches in America have the same ministry philosophy.... In order to appeal to a wider-array of the population the “Circus Church” focuses it’s attention on everyone who attends leaving the event having nothing more than a non-threatening, entertaining, positive experience.

Though the “Ringmaster” of the “Circus Church” might teach from the Bible, he’ll never teach the Bible. As a matter of practicality the “Ringmaster” will refrain from addressing doctrinal issues in the fear of becoming divisive. He will minimize the moral stances of Scripture for fear of offending the listener emphasizing instead the universal antidotes of love, peace, and personal improvement.

In the “Circus Church” the two-dimensional perspective of absolute truth is replaced with a unitarian kaleidoscope of being nonjudgmental and tolerant making the “Circus Church” the perfect location for the “Jesus loves me just the way I am crowd.” This is why the “Circus Church” refrains from taking moral stands in the hopes of creating an umbrella large enough for everyone to congregate together comfortably.

Though the “Circus Church” experiences maybe the largest growth of all, a church model that has a “Ringmaster” attempting to appeal to “Everyone” is hardly a remedy for health!

Understand, this unitarian message of the “Ringmaster” attracts an interesting mixture of people: (A). The “Circus Church” will attract spiritual children who would rather eat cotton-candy than ever grow up to real spiritual maturity. And (B). the “Circus Church” creates the perfect environment for unbelievers desiring religious experience without religious conviction. Though the “Circus Church” rejects the initial notion they attract the spiritually immature, I’ve actually heard these churches boast about how many “unbelievers” attend a Sunday morning service! For these “Ringmasters” it is a badge of honor that non-Christians feel comfortable within the walls of their “Circus Church”.


May I ask.... Where have we developed this idea that the corporate gathering of the church was designed for the unbeliever? At what point in church history did we decide that the numbers of non-Christians attending our services was actually something to be desired?

It would seem from Acts 2 that the reason the church gathered together was for the purpose of Bible Study, worship, prayer, communion, and fellowship. How are any of these things commissioned with the unbeliever in mind? In Acts, the church existed for the edification of the body and the equipping of the saints. Scripture is clear that the church was instituted by Jesus to be a mechanism by which Christians would be equipped then sent into the world with the mission of reaching the unbeliever. Church was never to be a place where the pagan, unbeliever came to feel comfortable!


In conclusion, Consider who was being added to this church.... “The Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” Jesus was adding to the church baby Christians. Why? Well as we discussed last Sunday, the church in Acts had developed a strategy by which they could help these baby believers grow into spiritual maturity!

The church in Acts was not a “Low Rise where junkies came for an emotional fix!”

The church in Acts was not a “Brothel where people could run away from their issues!”

The church in Acts was not a “Circus tent open for everyone to feel welcome!”

No! The church in Acts was a place where those “who were being saved” could come to grow in their relationship with Jesus through the teaching of His Word, engage in worship, enjoy fellowship with other believers, communion with their Savior, and pray!


Please understand.... It is the longing of my heart to see the “Lord add” numerical growth to Calvary316, but.... that is His job, not mine! My job is to focus our attention on being the healthiest church we can be by seeking to be the most Biblical church we can be!

It is a matter of reality that since we teach the whole counsel of God the “Experience Junkie” will not find C316 as exciting as the “Low Rise Church.”

It is a matter of reality that since we find it essential people deal with their issues rather than “Run Away” C316 will not be seen as accepting as the “Brothel Church.”

It is a matter of reality that since we spend our time together equipping believers for the ministry not “Everyone” will find us as relevant and tolerant as the “Circus Church.”

And if these realities hinder our numerical growth.... than so be it! At least I will be able to stand with a good conscience before God when I give an account for the kind of church He entrusted me to pastor!

That said.... I do believe with all of my heart that Jesus will add numerical growth to Calvary316 in both a healthy and divine way IF we’re found faithful to model His blueprint for His church! “The Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

Links:

Hartford Institute on the Mega-Church
Extra Reading on the Home Church Movement
Fox 5 Interview with Carl Lentz
Largest Churches in America
Largest Churches in Atlanta
Rob Bell's Departure from Mars Hill
Word Search on Acts 2
Recommend Commentary on Acts 2
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