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The Church With A Heart
Acts 9:32-43 Aren't you glad you're in
church today? Church doesn't
have to be a drudgery, around here it is fun and worthwhile and something we
look forward to and miss when we're not there...because this is a church
with a heart! Growing churches
love, and loving churches grow. Some people only go to
church 3 times in their lives:
when they're born, when they're married, and when they die...so
basically--when they're hatched, matched, and dispatched!
Well, I want to come every time the doors are open! The Kaleidoscope—a favorite
toy of many of us who are now “over the hill”!
[cardboard tube, colored
glass/mirrors/designs]…as you turn it, it changes because you are
looking at the contents from a different perspective.
This passage of scripture
is much like that…every time you look at it, and turn it this way and that,
you see something new…a new ministry of the early church…you realize how
caring and compassionate this early church was…it was truly a Church with a
Heart…and GBC needs to be that church as well, so let’s look at it from a
few different angles!
1. The early
church had a heart for humans—they
cared about people/individuals…they weren’t just a mass of people, though
thousands were being saved, perhaps 25k saved in just first few months of
ministry!
But God takes the time to
share w/ us about 4 of these early converts, showing us they are real people
w/ real names, real feelings and real needs. Proper names mentioned: Peter-v. 32
God is doing a work in Peter’s heart—up ‘til now, Peter has been
thinking that the gospel is only for some, only the Jews, so God sends him
to Lydda, about 25 miles from Jerusalem, but primarily a Gentile city.
God’s breaking down walls of prejudice in Peter’s heart, and he’s
learning what Paul would later state in:
[look at thru the Kaleidoscope] Galatians 3:28
There is neither
Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor
female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. It’s wonderful what God
does in the hearts of individuals to help prepare them for what He has
planned in the future.
God loves individuals…you’re more than just a number to Him! Aeneas—v. 33-34
Crippled for 8 years, but instantaneously healed!
Why did God insert this brief story?
Well, it shows the power of God yes, but it also speaks of the fact
that in the midst of thousands being saved, God knew about this one man, a
real man, w/ a real need, and God met that need!
God cares about individuals!
He knows where you live! Tabitha—[aka Dorcas…I’d prefer the former!] v. 36-38
This is a demonstration of
incredible faith on the part of the disciples…up to this point there’s no
record of any apostle raising anyone from the dead, but they believed by the
power of Christ it could be done!
Yes, it’s a demo. of
faith and power, but more than that…this is further proof that God
cares about individuals, God knew her name, He knew where she was, He knew
her need, and He met that need. Every day a long list of
names appears under “Obituaries”, and some like to look and see if they knew
anyone…but mostly, we pass over most of the names unless their age listed is
lower than ours! But God cares for
individuals, in this life, and even afterward, and proved it by snatching
this one from the clutches of death.
Aren’t you glad he cares
for individuals and what awaits them as well!
We should too! We must
never lose sight of the individual…there are as many needs here today as
there are people here today, and every need is different. Simon the tanner—v. 43
When Peter goes to Joppa he is invited to stay w/ this taxidermist,
he skinned dead animals, tanned the hides, and sold them
[I’ve tanned a few hides lately
myself!] Why include this info.?
Again, God is working on Peter, for in those days a tanner would have
been ceremonially unclean and despised by a “good Jew”.
He wasn’t “Kosher”, for he worked w/ dead animals.
God is moving Peter away
from the bonds of Jewish legalism and another step closer to the freedom of
grace! And God uses a real man
w/ a real name, a real job and really dirty hands to do a great work for Him
in the heart of Peter! God loves
individuals and has a plan for each one and will often do His best work thru
ones who least expect He could! We live in an impersonal
century…to our government, we’re just a #, to Sears, we’re just an acct. #,
on websites we’re a user name and password, to Radio Shack for some reason
we’re just a phone #!
Even at a hotel, you can
give your name if you want, yeah-yeah, but really we want your confirmation
# and license plate #! I’m glad God sees me as an
individual, a real person w/ a name and needs, and He wants to meet those
needs and know me more! Jesus calls each of us by
name: John 10:27
My sheep hear my
voice, and I know them, and they follow me: John 10:14
I am the good
shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. Matthew 10:30
But the very hairs
of your head are all numbered. And if the church is gonna
be what God wants it to be, we’ll have to have a heart for humans and care
about people! Our area is full
of tens of thousands of real people w/ real needs.
No doubt in our area this
week there are children who found out their parents are divorcing, and they
need to choose who to live with.
No doubt a woman found out
her husband is cheating on her/someone who has lost a job or a
child/addicted to drugs, porn…they need to find a church w/ a heart that
sees them as a real person w/ real needs! As we turn the kaleidoscope
today, we see not only a church w/ a heart for humans, but…
2. The early
church had a heart for helping. v. 36—Tabitha
“full of good works and almsdeeds” means she lived her life to help
others. v. 39 apparently she was a great
seamstress, and used her talent to bless people w/ threads!
She used her gifts and abilities for others.
She knew how to sew… “Sew
what?” What they needed!
And you may not have the
flashiest abilities in the church, singing, teaching, etc…but all that
matters is how it’s bent, how you use it for others!
So...how are you bent? “Little is much when God is
in it, labor not for wealth or fame, there’s a crown and you can win it, if
you’ll go, work, serve, in Jesus’ name!” The people of Grace are
using their gifts and abilities in many ways, but there's room for much
more…and it’s not
important what gift you have, what’s important is how you use
it…do you use it to help people?
The body of Christ is
functioning well together, and in the middle of it all is a heart…shared by
all...a heart for people! We have that kind of
church, where when one suffers, all suffer, and want to take them food!
Someone having a baby? let’s shower them w/ gifts!
Van rattling, roof leaking, door squeaking?...let’s fix it for God’s
glory! A church w/ a heart has a
heart for helping! Let’s turn the kaleidoscope
one more time…
3. The early
church had a heart for heaven. 2 miracles in this
passage…the healing, and the one raised from the dead…look at the ultimate
result of both miracles: When Aeneas was healed in
v. 34, look what resulted in v. 35: v. 35 they turned to the Lord!
People got saved!! After Tabitha was raised
from the dead, notice the result: v. 42 people saw what the church
was doing and got saved! That’s what it’s all
about…and even today, when God answers our prayers and someone receives a
healing of some kind, that’s great, but they are going to die anyway
eventually! In the NT we can read of
scores that Jesus healed, but they’re all dead!
Now the big question is, where has their soul been for the last 2k
years?!
We can’t just have a heart
for helping, we must have a heart for heaven…realizing what people’s main
need is! If we're not
supernatural then we're just superficial.
If all we are is programs and events and we don't focus on getting
people saved then we're just making the world a better place--to go to hell
from! If we don't evangelize, we
will fossilize. If we can help someone get
off drugs that’s great, but we must see their main need. Our parish nurses do blood
drives and give shots, but thankfully their main concern is people’s
eternity! New Our food pantry is there to
meet a temporary need, but we must take the opportunity to be a tangible
help to them that will last! Don’t just view that person
w/ a flat tire as one you can share help with, but one you can share heaven
with! I met people all week who
are going to die. They weren't
in the hospital or on their deathbed, just living and breathing and their
clock is ticking because it's unavoidable...they are going to die!
Everyone we meet is going to die, and we must help them w/ their
greatest upcoming need! If you’re here today and
not saved, your greatest need is not a social ministry, though we’ll offer
it, but a spiritual ministry, and God offers the forgiveness of sins and a
new life of victory for you! If you’re here today and
you’re sick, we’ll pray about that with you, but your greatest need is a
spiritual healing thru the blood of Jesus Christ! Many churches offer
culture, but w/out Christ, they just produce dignified lost people.
Offer education—produce enlightened lost people Offer religion—produce
religious lost people… To be the church w/ a
heart, we must offer at every opportunity the gift of salvation, their
greatest need…we must have a heart for heaven! God help us to be, to
better be a church w/ a heart for humans, for helping, but most of all,
for heaven!
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