Easter Evaluation - Acts 4:31-33

A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick

A number of years ago in North Dakota, a summer-time road race was organized for long distance cyclists. The organizers thought this would be an ideal situation. The weather would not be too hot, and Route 2 which crossed the state from east to west was perfectly straight, and as flat as a tabletop. The idea for this race seemed to be a "no brainer"; after all, wouldn't this be a biker's dream? Straight flat road with almost no automobile traffic to deal with - certainly this would become a great annual event drawing large crowds to this abandoned northern state. However, after the second year's race, the contest was abandoned, because so few bikers had signed up. Why not? Simply because there was no way for them to evaluate their progress. The road was so straight and flat, and with so few landmarks - after a few hours of peddling, the bikers would look back to try to see how far they had come, but the backward glance gave the same view as the forward, and they felt that they were making little or no progress at all. Several times throughout the book of Acts, the author, Luke pauses to make a kind of summary statement, an evaluation of what had been taking place as the church of Jesus Christ moves forward. (Acts 2:42-47; 4:4; 5:12-14; 6:7; 8:4; 9:31; 11:19-24; 12:24; 13:49, 52; 17:11,12; 19:10,11, 20; 28:30-31) Here are some examples of such statements: "everyone was filled with awe" "many who heard the message believed" "men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number" "the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased" "those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went" "the church . . . was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit" "the word of God continued to increase and spread" "the word of the Lord spread through the whole region" "the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit" "the Bereans . . . received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day" "all the Jews and Greeks . . . heard the word of the Lord" "the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power" What we have in our chosen text, Acts 4:31-33, is such a statement. "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all." As an aside, pausing for evaluation is not a bad idea for all of us, as individuals, families, and church. The questions are: "What's been happening here lately? What's good and what's not?" Some people seem to have the idea that reviewing the past is not helpful, we must not waste our time on things which cannot be changed; they say, it's better to take care of matters that are in our face today, and perhaps give a bit of time thinking about the future consequences of today's activities and decisions. But isn't it also true, as the saying goes, that they who forget the past are doomed to repeat it? I say, evaluation is very important. On a Saturday morning in Nigeria, I was asked to address the Bible School students. When we arrived, they were still worshiping. I was told that there would be 90 minutes for teaching, but multiple, long-winded introductions cut that nearly in half. However, the forty students were very receptive. I had been informed that it was exam day, they had already taken one exam, and would have another after my session. So I let them know that I understood there were some students who probably were praying that the preacher would be "long winded" and that I would continue through the entire afternoon so they could postpone the exam - but I assured them that their prayer would not be answered! Why is it that we are so averse to taking tests? How would a student ever know progress is being made without tests? How would teachers ever know their students are learning what is being taught unless there are periodic evaluations? So it's good to look back, and like the cyclists, see from where we have come. However, we need something by which to measure our progress. Hopefully, where you work, you receive a periodic evaluation from you boss, and there are some benchmarks, some criteria for determining whether or not you are making progress on the job. The same principle applies to the church. But the question is, how do we measure progress? Is it according to what you think, or what I think, or what God thinks? How do we know what God thinks? We believe that one way is to read His Word. In the Bible, in passages like the one we read, we can discover what are some distinguishing elements of the New Testament Church, and by these we can measure our own progress. That's what Luke gives us in this passage from Acts. The first three items we note in this passage are Persecution, Prayer and Place. 1. Persecution The story behind this scripture began with a lame beggar who had for so long been positioned just outside one of the prominent temple gates. He had been miraculously healed, and a huge crowd had gathered to listen to the explanation and sermon preached by Peter. The religious leaders had become upset, and jailed the apostles. The next day they were called before the ruling elders and questioned, and were told that they were not allowed to preach any more concerning Jesus Christ. Immediately, Peter and John gathered the church for prayer. Isn't it interesting, that throughout history when there has been open opposition to the Gospel, the church seems to thrive. Why is this? Could it simply be because during such times Christians get more serious about prayer? Could it be that today's church in America is lethargic due to an absence of persecution? Which leads us to our next point of evaluation - - 2. Prayer - "they prayed" Do we really need to talk about this? Isn't it obvious? Don't all Christians pray? Or are we really much like the rest of our American population who crowded into churches to pray immediately following "9/11" but who have as quickly abandoned prayer? Do we only pray when things are going badly, or do we also pray when all is good? The truth is, of all the programs, activities and meetings sponsored by the church, the least attended of all is the prayer meeting. 3. There's another "p" word here that we should not overlook, Place - "the place where they were meeting was shaken" We may not know for sure the location where the disciples met for prayer, possibly it was the same "Upper Room" where the disciples were first filled with the Spirit at Pentecost, perhaps John Mark's mother's house. What we do know is that something dramatic happened, something like an earthquake - there was a shaking. Perhaps the idea that this could be "a method of divine communication" (Foakes-Jackson) was not as much a surprise to the disciples as it would be for us. They were no doubt familiar with the report given by Isaiah when he had his remarkable vision of the Lord in His temple. He said, "At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook . . . ." (Isaiah 6:4) Certainly they also remembered what happened when Moses met with God on the mountain when the Ten Commandments were given, "Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently." (Exodus 19:18) In more modern times, an entire group of Christians became identified by a more personal form of this same phenomenon of shaking. The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, better known as "Shakers," led by Ann Lee, came to America from Manchester, England, in 1774. With an emphasis on a personal, spiritual relationship with God, communities began to be formed, bound by their shared faith and a commitment to common property, celibacy, confession of sins, equality of men and women, pacificism and separation from the world. The reason they became known as “Shaking Quakers,” and then simply as Shakers, was because in their worship, they would feel the power of God and respond by shaking and trembling - some saw this as an effort to rid themselves of evil. As time went on, their whirling, trembling, shaking and other ecstatic forms of worship gave way to more orderly dancing and singing in religious services. However, Shakers continued to lead lives of purity and devotion to God, as they sought to create their vision of “heaven on earth.” By the time of the Civil War, 5,000 Shakers had gathered into 19 communities - today only one remains at Sabbathday Lake, Maine. (http://www.hancockshakervillage.org/old/shakers.html) In Luke's account, the place shook under the power of God, and at various times throughout history Christians have experienced similar shakings. The evaluative question for us is this, do we today experience manifestations of God's power, or is this just a memory? So far, in taking stock of the early Church, Luke has identified three elements - the church was under persecution from outside, they responded by dedicating themselves to prayer, and God demonstrated His presence and power through this spectacular means of shaking. What else do we learn from this evaluation? 4. One outstanding mark of this church was that it represented People united - "All the believers were one in heart and mind" Our question is: is today's church united? Now please understand that we're not talking about denominationalism, we're not referring to organizational unity. However, for us, this is one of the most challenging questions for the church today. In my own experience, every now and then this thought rises to the surface: when it's time for a wedding or a funeral, most people are able to put aside their differences, even their past hurts and grudges and gather together to honor the couple being married or the memory of the person being buried. My question has always been, why can't they do that when it comes time to honor and worship the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Bride Groom and the one who died for us. I once visited a man who a couple of years previously had been very active in the church, but had not been to a service for a long time. I learned that he had been very involved with the construction of the church building, and had come into disagreement with some of the leaders. So he told me that while he enjoyed the visit, he would not be returning to church because some of those same people were still there and he couldn't be free to worship with them. During the more than 30 years of pastoral ministry, I have served five churches in four states - every one of them, in their not so distant past, had experienced serious seasons of disunity - some were outright splits. The Church of Jesus Christ will never be healthy until we learn that we can deal with our differences and difficulties in a way that will not destroy our unity. 5. Then, going back to our text, there is this remarkable statement made by Luke about these early Christians: they shared their Possessions - "they shared everything they had" In part, this is remarkable because it seems very opposed to our own contemporary mind-set. So much of our lives is consumed by the drive to "get all you can and can all you get." Even when it comes to church, too many get involved to the extent that it benefits them. Where are the people who come to church meetings to give? - and no we're not talking about money. Where are the people who come with the attitude of Paul when he wrote, "I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong -- that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." (Romans 1:11, 12) True care in the church will always result in sharing what we have in order for others to be blessed. 6. Finally, the element in the early church that causes us envy is the Power - "with great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord" We've already alluded to the demonstration of God's power in the shaking, but more importantly, it can also be seen in the boldness that characterized their witness. It's one thing to feel God's power in an environment where everyone around us is excited, and praising the Lord with great enthusiasm. In fact the excitement might grow to the point of quivering or even shaking. But it's an altogether different thing to realize the power of God working in us as we bear witness in the world. In fact, when God's power in us wanes, there will always cease to be a viable witness, and Christianity will lose its appeal. What good is a powerless religion? As we look further into this verse, we can see two features with regard to this power. First, they "continued to testify." That is, it was not a short-lived testimony. In fact, these apostles were faithful to carry this message until their deaths. I wonder if we are willing to follow their example. The other feature, which directly relates to today, Easter Sunday, is that their emphasis was on the resurrection of Jesus. Christianity has always drawn attention to the cross, that Jesus died in order to make eternal life available to all who would believe. But this is for sure, we never would have even heard about the cross if it had not been for the resurrection. How is Christianity to be distinguished from all the other religions of the world? All religions attempt to teach us about God and how it is we should relate to Him, as well as how we should relate to each other. Christianity is no exception. However, followers of Christianity can also point to an empty tomb, although there have been numerous attempts to explain the absence of Jesus' body. The latest is in a very recent book, "The Jesus Dynasty," written by James Tabor, an archeologist who claims that he found the burial cave belonging to the family of Jesus. One of the ossuaries (box of bones) had the name "Miriam" (Mary) inscribed on it, and he believes a previously discovered ossuary with the inscription "James son of Joseph brother of Jesus" probably came from the same tomb. His suggestion is that members of Jesus' family retrieved His body from the garden tomb so they could bury it within their own family cave-like tomb, the one discovered by Tabor in the Hinnom Valley, just south of the Old City of Jerusalem in an area known as Akeldama. That's why the tomb was empty, Tabor claims. However, it takes more faith to believe one man's speculation than to believe the hundreds of credible witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. Besides, the Gospels make it clear that the Roman ruler had been convinced by religious leaders to place four guards by the entry of the tomb specifically because they wanted to be sure the body would not be taken away and allow followers of Jesus to claim He had risen from the dead, even as He had predicted. (Matthew 28:62-66) 7. There is one last evaluative statement by Luke as he noted the aPproval received by these early believers - "much grace was upon them all" While this could mean God's favor, it more likely refers to the favor of the people. The language is familiar, for in a previous evaluative statement, Luke wrote, "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, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people." (Acts 2:46, 47) This seems to be the opposite of what we began with, persecution. However, even as it was with Jesus, so it has always been with His church, persecuted by religious leaders, but welcomed by the "common people" (Mark 12:37) And we can expect the same today. It's time for us to take stock, to evaluate the modern day church in the light of Luke's comments about the first century church. We believe that when these elements are present, when the church, in spite of persecution, or perhaps because of it, is faithful in prayer, when the church realizes God's power in their gatherings, when they are people united and share their possessions, and when they continue with great power to witness to the resurrection - then the church will meet with great favor. If the question would be asked today, "Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus?" no doubt the response would be a resounding "Yes!" But let's not be content with mental consent. Let's not just say that we believe in the resurrection, let's earnestly pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that "the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead . . . will also give life to [the Body of Christ] through his Spirit, who lives in you." (Romans 8:11) Discussion Questions Easter Evaluation - Acts 4:31-33 1. What are some of the reasons evaluations are important? Can you provide an example? 2. Why is it that we tend to shy away from certain kinds of evaluations? 3. If there is going to be an evaluation of the church, and if progress must be measured according to certain criteria, how can we know what are the criteria? 4. In the beginning of the history of the Christian church, what brought about the very first wave of persecution? 5. In response to this persecution, what did the early church do? 6. Why is it that most of the time, compared to almost any other church activity, the poorest attention is at the prayer meeting? 7. Where did the first Christian prayer meetings most likely take place? 8. What are some Old Testament examples of "shakings"? 9. What is the more commonly known name for the group called "The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing," and for what were they well known? 10. What are some ways disunity is manifested in today's Christian churches? 11. Members of the first church seemed very willing to share what they had so others' needs could be met. How can this pattern be followed in today's church? 12. According to Luke, how was God's power displayed in addition to the shaking of the building? 13. Specifically, to what did the apostles bear witness? 14. What are some of the various ways attempts have been made to explain away the story of Jesus' resurrection? 15. How can there be a reconciliation of these two factors concerning the early church - they were persecuted, and they found favor with the people? 16. What is needed today for us to realize the power of the resurrection in our own lives and church? - - Return to Top of this Page - Email a link to this page - Go To Next Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick - Back To Sermons Page or to the Sermons Alphabetical List - - Download This Sermon - - Download a Power Point Presentation for This Sermon - - If you have enjoyed joyfulministry.com, you may send a referral letter - Click Here, and enter email addresses of your friends. This Page's Title Is: Your Name Is: Your Email Address Is: Your State and Country: Please identify your vocation: Senior Pastor. Associate Pastor. Youth Pastor. Lay Minister. Church Member. Which section of this site would you most likely return to? Sermons Articles Stories Poems Hymns Articles for Leaders Marriage Articles A Bit of Humor Would you like to receive the free weekly E-mail Circular? YES If you have a web page, would you like to establish a reciprocal link? YES Feel free to add a comment or prayer request: