Living Stones
A Sermon Based on Acts 2: 42-47
Rev. Deborah Troester, April 30, 2023, STHPC
Last Sunday we welcomed new members to our church, which is great cause for rejoicing. We feel happy when our attendance is increasing. If attendance is slipping, we think something must be wrong, even if everything else seems to be going well, but numbers for the sake of numbers does not do justice to the purpose of the church; changing lives, changing society, and helping people become faithful disciples of Jesus Christ all matter more than numbers. We may have a church full of people, but if our lives haven’t changed, and if we don’t make any difference in our community, are we really fulfilling our purpose as a church? Both of the scriptures we read this morning provide some keys to how and why the early church grew so rapidly.
Peter compares the church to a building, not made of bricks and mortar, but of “living stones,” meaning that the church is alive and growing. This scripture always makes me think of a beautiful cathedral, like the one on the front of our bulletin this morning. In order to build a cathedral, the proper foundation must be laid.
Peter says that Christ is the “cornerstone” of the church. The cornerstone is an essential part of the foundation. Without it the building would collapse. Our lives must be founded on faith in Christ, our cornerstone, and our church must be built on that faith. Otherwise, we are just a social club, not a church at all. But beyond faith in Christ, what other building blocks are needed to form a solid foundation for a healthy, growing church?
This morning’s scripture from Acts gives us five of these building blocks. In this description of the early church, we read, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers…,” and they would give to any who had need. These five elements constituted the building blocks of the early church: study, fellowship, breaking of bread, prayers, and helping those in need. My husband said that I should add coffee, cookies, and possibly potlucks, but I will restrict myself to the building blocks mentioned in Acts.
The first building block for a healthy, growing church is study. Early Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching,” that is the good news of Christ, and all he had taught them. They did not have the gospels, at least not in the form we have them today, but they had the teachings of those first disciples: the men and women who knew Jesus personally, who had sat at his feet and listened to him, who had seen him crucified and resurrected. Later these teachings were collected and written down in the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The writings of the apostles were also collected in the letters, or epistles, of Paul, James, Peter, and John. The apostles’ teaching also included interpretations of the Hebrew Scriptures as they applied to the Christian life.
For us today, devoting oneself to “the apostles’ teachings” means studying the Bible: reading it, reflecting on it, discussing it with friends and family, discovering what God has to say to us through the scriptures, learning how God wants us to live. How can we claim to follow Christ if we never open the Book that tells about Him?
Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity, an organization that many of you are familiar with that builds decent homes for the underserved, puts it this way: “We must think about things from God’s point of view. When that shift occurs in our thinking, the world looks different; our own lives are seen in a different way. And, our neighbors, both near and far, are viewed differently.” As we read the Bible, we will gain that different perspective that Fuller refers to. We must change the way we think before we can change the world. Bible study can help us learn to see the world as God sees it.
A learning church is a growing church. Our society is full of people who are searching for purpose and meaning in their lives. The Bible has answers to these questions. If we study it, and invite others to study it with us, our church will grow. Our faith will deepen and we will have greater wisdom and insight with which to face the challenges of life. So the first building block of a healthy church is the study of scripture.
The second building block is fellowship. The Greek word for “fellowship,” koinonia, implies more than just socializing or casual friendship. It means “communion, close relationship, brotherly (and sisterly) unity.” Fellowship means that we love one another (or try to), that we support and encourage each other, that we are there for the bad times, as well as the good. Many people in our world long for a sense of truly “belonging” to a community or a family. Loneliness has become an epidemic.
If we, as a church, can create a sense of community, we will grow – and, again, not only in numbers, but in spiritual maturity as well.
It is impossible to live the Christian life alone. Just as the coals of a fire go out when separated from each other, our faith suffers when we try to “go it alone.” We must get to know one another at a deeper level. Some churches do this is by meeting in small groups, such as for Bible study or choir. Something I appreciate about our chancel choir is that our director, Hugh, always makes time to read a scripture or short devotion, and we always conclude with prayer, praying for each other and our concerns.
The church can learn from 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, which owe their success to mutual support in trying to overcome addictions. Joe and I recently watched the movie, A Good Person, with Morgan Freeman and Florence Pugh, who plays a young woman addicted to prescription drugs. Only when she admits that she has a problem and is willing to ask for help is she able to overcome her addiction. The church is a “Sinners Anonymous.” We all commit sins. We all need to ask for help. As our epistle this morning urges us: “Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander.”
Maybe we are not corrupt or criminals, but who among us can say we have never been envious or gossips or insincere? By sticking together and supporting one another, we can encourage each other to live the lives God expects of us.
The early church also “broke bread” together. This refers to the observance of Holy Communion, which reminds us on a regular basis that “God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” In the early church the Lord’s Supper was accompanied by a common meal, a kind of “potluck.” At that time, people did not sit down to eat with just anyone. Jews did not eat with Gentiles. Religious people did not eat with “sinners.” Slaves did not eat with their masters. But in the church all sat down together to eat, regardless of ethnicity, class, or other differences. There is something radical here: a glimpse of heaven; the breaking of bread became a foretaste of the kingdom of God.
One reason I love our Church is because we come from so many different backgrounds. Our skins are different colors. We were born in different countries. We have different points of view on many things. Yet we all get along. We live in a world that desperately needs to see that people who are different can get along together, and even love one another. This example may be one of the greatest gifts our church has to give to our divided, fragmented world.
The early church also devoted themselves to prayer. One thing I like about our worship service is that we have a time for prayer, in which we pray for one another’s joys and concerns. This is an excellent practice. How we can build on this good habit of prayer to continue it throughout the week? Sincere, heartfelt prayer almost always leads to action. If we pray for someone’s needs, sooner or later we will want to do something to help meet those needs. Let’s pray for our fellow church members, elders and deacons, for the needs of our community and the needs of the world. As we listen to one another, pray for each other, and learn from each other, our church will grow. Praying for one another makes for a strong, healthy church.
The final building block for church growth is service to others. In Acts we read how the early church provided for those in need. In later chapters we read how they fed the hungry, healed the sick, and made clothing for the poor. Here at Santa Teresa Hills we have a history of ministering to our community through organizations like SMUM and Bread for the World. How can we build on our experience and expertise to broaden our impact both here at home and around the world?
A church in a small town in Texas had an oversized influence for good in that community. In explaining how this came to be, their pastor said, “I thought that if anyone was going to change this town, it was these people. I thought that Christians should have the opportunity to repair the social structures. People had stopped dreaming. They had to be told they could dream again. And that their dreams could come true.”
What are your dreams for Santa Teresa Hills? Build them on the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ, with the building blocks of Bible study, fellowship, the breaking of bread, prayer and helping those in need. You might be surprised what could happen. Amen.
© Deborah Troester 2023