Class Lesson November 11, 2012

Hey Gang,

Last week we began this series of lessons on how the church can transform a changing culture. We talked about what cultural changes we have experienced, and believe are the greatest threat to the church today. Now, we discussed a lot of cultural changes like gay marriage, extramarital sex, living together, overall tolerance and acceptance of different worldviews, beliefs and cultural changes. All of these are indeed challenges to the church today, but I expressed to you that I believed that the greatest cultural threat to the church today was the culture within the church. The early church provides us with some foundational understanding to how the church can indeed transform a changing culture and last week we saw that it begins with prayer. Not just any prayer or any praying church, but a church that prays with dependency - there is a big difference if you want to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. And if we truly want transformation whether it be within ourselves or the culture around us, it will have to be accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is an important first lesson in this series - go back on the blog and read last week's lesson again if you missed last week. Randy spoke last week about the church being relational and not transactional. We must interact in order to transform - we want to redeem the culture and yet we don't even know our neighbors. So, just how is that supposed to work?

This weeks lesson answers how the church transforms a changing culture by "loving thy neighbor" as a church should. It also shows how we miss this completely when we act selfishly and forfeit Christian togetherness. Is it easy, no but it's worth it. Will there be problems, yes but it's worth it - there will always be tensions in any group that seeks to have a spirit of loving oneness. This week's lesson is entitled "Doing Life Together." Doing life together calls for sensitivity to the needs expressed by those who feel excluded or ignored. In a large church like ours maintaining a sense of togetherness can be a challenge. Small groups like our Sunday school class become necessary in order to accomplish this. Those who attend only the big services miss the kind of oneness of spirit that happens in a smaller group. What is this oneness of spirit in the church suppose to look like?

When you think about the church, when you hear the word church, what image comes to mind? Is it a building? Is it a group of people? Is it a belief? What if I told you that “a song” is an important image for the church?

We are going to open this week's lesson with a video from Rob Bell called Rhythm. Now, I have expressed my opinion with some of the things Rob Bell teaches, but there are many things that he teaches that are right on key - this is one and it applies very well with our lesson this week.   1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, "but test all things. Hold on to what is good." I like this verse.

 

Rob Bell Rhythm

God - Jesus - Holy Spirit - Church - Christian

 Are each of these connected? Is your image of the church relational or strategic?

9 Visible Attributes of the Christian Life

Love - Joy - Peace

Patience - Kindness - Goodness

Faithfulness - Gentleness - Self Control  

These attributes are the way Jesus lived - should they be the image of the church?

This week we will look at how the early church transformed it's culture by giving concrete help, being truthful to God and the members of the church, and by raising up servant leaders.

I. GIVE CONCRETE HELP – ACTS 4:32-35

Believers Sharing

32 Now the large group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common. 33 And the apostles were giving testimony with great power to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them. 34 For there was not a needy person among them, because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet. This was then distributed for each person’s basic needs.

Think about something you had to save up for to buy, how did you feel when you could finally make your purchase? What in life do we save for that might not be material?

• Being able to meet the needs of someone else.
• To provide resources for a particular ministry.
• To share a trip with someone to build closeness.
• To help with disaster relief.
• Can saving up to bless others feel the same or different than saving up for something we want to buy?

How did Luke describe the unity of the early believers, was it a song? How did they display that unity, were they in tune?

• Early believers were busy doing things for God, but they worked just as hard to maintain proper relationships with each other.
• The early believers were a multitude and yet they lived with “one heart and soul.”
• Even though they continued to testify about Jesus, the real evidence of their unity is found in the way they gave to one another – their generosity.
• While our culture struggles with the temptation to use people and love things, they emphasized loving people and using things.

What were the characteristics of the sharing of goods in the Jerusalem church?

• The sharing of possessions in the early Jerusalem church was illustrated positively by Barnabas in verses 36-37 and negatively by Ananias and Sapphira in 5:1-11. This practice was the ultimate expression of oneness of spirit. Verse 32 states that the believers were of one heart and of one soul.
• The spirit of oneness of life and purpose is a model for all churches in every place and in every age.
• The compassion for needy people should find practical expressions in every age.

Was this simply a redistribution of wealth? Was this an example of communism or stewardship? How could it apply to churches today?

• This differed from communism in that this was a church practice, not something controlled by the state. Second, the Jerusalem project did not eliminate private ownership. These were voluntary possessions sold and given to help the needy. Third, the church did not force anyone to give. People gave voluntarily. The motivation was to help needy people.
• A basic sense of stewardship should permeate every church. We are not our own, and nothing we call our own belongs to us.
• The earliest of the churches was the church of Jerusalem. Many of its practices are worthy models for today’s churches. We may not duplicate their way of sharing of goods, but we can seek ways of continuing the basic principle of a spirit of togetherness.
• Jesus came to show us how to live in tune with the song. In His generosity and love, in His telling of the truth, in His love and forgiveness – that’s what God is like.
• That’s how the song goes and it’s playing all around us – are you in tune?

II. BE TRUTHFUL TO GOD AND PEOPLE – ACTS 5:1-6

Lying to the Holy Spirit

5 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. 2 However, he kept back part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge, and brought a portion of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds from the field? 4 Wasn’t it yours while you possessed it? And after it was sold, wasn’t it at your disposal? Why is it that you planned this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God!” 5 When he heard these words, Ananias dropped dead, and a great fear came on all who heard. 6 The young men got up, wrapped his body, carried him out, and buried him.

What comes to your mind when you hear “the punishment fits the crime?” What was so wrong with Ananias’ plan? How was the money given by Ananias and Sapphira similar to and different from the money given by Barnabas? What was Ananias’s and Sapphira’s sin? Why was their judgment so harsh? What effect did their judgment have?

• Is anyone surprised at the severity of the judgment against Ananias and his wife later on in the chapter? Rather than debate it, why might this have been a helpful consequence?
• Ananias’ sin was not in holding back part of the money. He had that right as a landowner. He had made an oath to God and to the faith community – which he violated by lying. Ananias and Sapphira were members of the body of Christ, but their efforts to deceive the body showed they did not value that relationship properly. Consider the importance of mutual respect, integrity, truth, and expressed care.
• Barnabas’ generous offering is shown in 4:37 and Ananias and Sapphira is in 5:2. The Lord blessed the generous gift of Barnabas. Ananias and his wife also sold a field, but they wanted the praise Barnabas received without the sacrifice. They held back part of their profit but told Peter they had brought it all. Their sin of final consequences was lying about the amount they had received. The early believers in Jerusalem realized what so many fail to discover. Everything we call our own really belongs to God.
• Believers should be honest and truthful.

• Christians should keep their vows to God.
• Lying to the Holy Spirit involves misrepresenting the Spirit and yielding to Satan. This was similar to what Judas did – all motivated by money.

III. RAISE UP SERVANT LEADERS – ACTS 6:1-7

Seven Chosen to Serve

6 In those days, as the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution. 2 Then the Twelve summoned the whole company of the disciples and said, “It would not be right for us to give up preaching about God to handle financial matters. 3 Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the preaching ministry.” 5 The proposal pleased the whole company. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte from Antioch. 6 They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the preaching about God flourished, the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.

What two groups of widows are mentioned? Why did the church have a ministry to widows?

• Widows in Bible times were a helpless, dependent group in society. They often were named along with orphans as powerless groups who needed help.

Who complained? What was the complaint? How was it resolved? What kind of men were the seven?

• The complaint was that the Greek-speaking widows were being neglected in the daily distribution either of food or money to buy food. It seems to have been a legitimate complaint.
• Dissension in the church can be deadly if left alone. Action needs to be given to complaints right away and the apostles did this.
• Physical ministries are as worthy as spiritual ones.
• Well-qualified people should be selected for church leadership. These were the seven that were chosen and many see these as the first deacons in the church.
• Ministries varied according to each person’s spiritual gifts.
• Resolving a fellowship problem enables a church to grow in every way.

Closing: Think about the ministries provided in our church as an orchestra playing a special song. Why are you crucial to the song? What if there are players that are not in tune with the song?

• God has gifted and empowered each of us to play.
• God gives us life and breath and everything else – God is generous! So when I’m like selfish and stingy and I refuse to give – I’m essentially out of tune with the song. But when you see someone sacrificing themselves for another, it’s inspiring and they are showing us how to be in tune with the song.
• This is what the early church did – they interacted with one another and cared for one another and did what Jesus would have done! This is what the church is supposed to be.
• So may you come to see that the song is written on your heart and as you live in tune with the song, in tune with the Creator of the universe may you realize that you are in relationship with the living God?

Prayer of Commitment

Lord, help me to be close to other members of my church. Amen.

We continue this week in our study of how the church transforms a changing culture. Be in prayer this week as we explore this examination of how the church loves thy neighbor.

See you on Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan