Rev. David Holwick I The Church You've Longed For, #3
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
March 4, 2007
Acts 10:1-15
BARRIERS OR BRIDGES?
I. CHURCHES CAN BE THE WORST.
A. Musical pews.
1) (Have everyone switch pews after shaking hands)
2) Do you feel uncomfortable now?
B. We stick to our own.
1) We are most comfortable sitting by family and friends.
a) I notice that some families are still sitting together
in spite of my command!
b) Sometimes it reflects something more sinister:
Billy Graham notes that 11 a.m. Sunday morning is the
most segregated hour in America.
2) Human nature is to want to hang around people just like us.
a) Church growth principle: homogeneity.
1> Churches with people from the same background will
grow the most easily.
b) Jesus principle: love everybody - even if I have to make
you.
C. Every church sends out unconscious signals.
1) What we really believe and stand for.
a) Who we want to be here.
b) According to Thomas Hammond, one reason churches fail
to make a good impression on first-timers is because
they focus on the wrong things.
Pastors devote considerable time to preparing Sunday
morning sermons.
But research shows most visitors decide whether to
return to the church in the first 10 to 12 minutes,
long before the sermon's delivery.
The decision is based on such factors as building
appearance and the friendliness of greeters.
The truth is most Christians aren't prepared to be
welcoming.
Hammond says, "We tend to stop brotherly love within
the four walls of the church," he said.
#30615
2) Do we believe in Jesus?
a) Do we want HIM to be here?
b) If so, we should be open to all his children.
D. Reflection or transformation.
1) We are not to mirror society, but transform it.
2) The church down here must look like the church up there.
3) We have to decide if we are going to be barriers or bridges.
II. HOW THE EARLY CHURCH BROKE DOWN BARRIERS.
A. Divine intervention. (Peter and Cornelius) 10:1-35
1) Excellent example of how God molded the early church.
a) Whether they liked it or not!
2) Background: Jewish exclusivism.
a) Jews had strict rules, and only associated with Jews.
b) Gentiles, like the Romans, were unclean.
1> It didn't help that Romans were an occupying
force too.
c) Christians were mostly former Jews.
1> They still followed the Jewish system, but believed
in Jesus as the Messiah.
2> They also knew they had a mission to reach the
world.
A> But they were avoiding this for the time being.
d) Peter's dilemma.
1> He was a Jewish Christian.
2> But he was liberated enough to live with a tanner
(an unclean profession, to a Jew).
3> Would he be able to stretch himself more?
3) God makes some calls.
a) First he gives a vision to Cornelius, who responds
quickly and positively: "What is it, Lord?" 10:4
b) Then God gives a vision to Peter, who responds
quickly and negatively: "Surely not, Lord!" 10:14
4) God does not show favorites, and neither should we.
a) Cornelius and his friends get saved before Peter
even finishes his sermon! 10:44
b) Be open to God's leading in reaching out to new
people.
B. Reasoning from the Bible. (James & Jerusalem council) 15:13-15
1) Successful outreach to Gentiles caused dissension.
2) The church called a council in Jerusalem.
a) They heard the complaints.
b) They heard Paul describe his results.
c) James, the brother of Jesus, appealed to the Bible.
3) Results - there would be no barriers to Gentiles.
C. Affirmative action. (Greek helpers for Greek widows) 6:1-5
1) Even among Jewish Christians there were tensions.
a) Different ethnic groups in church felt neglected.
2) Their solution - let the neglected group make it right.
a) (All the deacons had Greek names, not Hebrew ones)
3) To break down some barriers, we need to be creative.
a) Hear legitimate complaints.
b) Do something to make it right.
D. Positive outreach. (Philip and Ethiopian eunuch) 8:27-38
1) On a chance encounter, Deacon Philip witnessed to a royal
official from Ethiopia.
2) The man had a Bible question, and Philip used it to lead
him to Christ.
3) Don't squander the opportunities God sends us!
A church newsletter mentioned a man who visited 18 different
churches on successive Sundays.
He was trying to find out what the churches were really like.
He sat near the front.
After the service, he walked slowly to the rear, then returned
to the front and went back to the foyer using another aisle.
He smiled and was neatly dressed.
He asked one person to direct him to a specific place: a
fellowship hall, the pastor's study, etc.
He remained for coffee if served.
The man used a scale to rate the reception he received.
He awarded points on the following basis:
10 for a smile from a worshiper
10 for a greeting from someone sitting nearby
100 for an exchange of names
200 for an invitation to have coffee
200 for an invitation to return
1000 for an introduction to another worshiper
2000 for an invitation to meet the pastor
On this scale, 11 of the 18 churches earned fewer than 100
points.
Five actually received less than 20. (less than one smile and
a greeting!)
The conclusion: The doctrine may be biblical, the singing
inspirational, the sermon uplifting --
But when a visitor finds nobody who cares whether he's here,
he is not likely to come back.
#34114
III. ARE YOU A BARRIER OR A BRIDGE?
A. Barriers thwart people.
1) Unfriendliness communicates rejection.
B. Bridges connect people.
1) Alaska's $200 million "Bridge to Nowhere".
Not as dumb as it seems.
There is very little on the other side, but it is the
only area where the city can expand.
But there has to be a bridge.
2) People can be bridges.
Chuck Colson will always be remembered for being the
convicted Watergate criminal who found Jesus.
Shortly after his conversion, a friend took him to a Bible
study of Christian leaders in Washington, D.C.
One in the group, former Democratic Senator Harold Hughes,
came from a liberal background and would have nothing
to do with Colson because he remembered him as
"Nixon's hatchet man."
A Christian leader who had spent some time with Colson
knew that he had made a genuine commitment to Christ.
But some in this group were not as ready to buy his story.
A meeting was arranged, and when Colson and his Christian
friend arrived he was given quite a grilling.
He wasn't sure at first if he would be accepted.
Finally, they became convinced, much like Peter and his
Jewish friends were persuaded about Cornelius and his
guests.
As the acceptance developed into friendship, their
relationships deepened.
Seeing that one of Colson's children was struggling with
him being in prison, one of these men, a former governor,
offered to serve some of Colson's prison term so he
could be released to spend time with his child.
That's the kind of love that was a distinguishing mark of
first-century Christians.
And it should be evident in our churches as well.
#34257
IV. JESUS IS THE ULTIMATE BRIDGE. 1 Timothy 2:5
"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus."
A. He is the bridge to connect us with our Heavenly Father.
B. He is the bridge who can connect us with each other.
=========================================================================
SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
#30615 "Too Many Church Guests Are Ignored Or Treated As Outsiders,"
by Ken Walker, Baptist Press, HTTP://WWW.BAPTISTPRESS.ORG,
February 16, 2006.
#34114 "Rating Churches," Wit And Wisdom at HTTP://WWW.WITANDWISDOM.ORG
by Richard G. Wimer, January 22, 2007. Original source:
Laugh & Lift.
#34257 "Nixon's Hatchet Man Finds Fellowship," by Lud Gotz (augmented
with material from Internet sources). 50-Day Adventure:
The Church You've Always Longed For (pastor’s manual).
Sermon: Welcoming All People. Mainstay Church Ministries.
These and 30,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
=========================================================================
