THE CHURCH IS THE ANSWER

THE CHURCH IS THE ANSWER

ME My heart is troubled today, troubled over the events of the past few weeks. I am appalled by the very public deaths of multiple African Americans at the hands of law enforcement and neighborhood vigilantes. I also hurt for my friends and members of this church who are in law enforcement. They are being unfairly blamed for what is wrong in this country and their very lives are in danger, not only from criminals, but from self appointed revenge seekers. I would not blame anyone for not wanting to go into law enforcement these days.

I do have a reluctance to speak out when I do not have all the evidence. I prefer to let the judicial system do its work and let the guilty be punished to the full extent of the law. This make me complicit in the eyes of some, but so be it. We are encouraged in Scripture to:

James 1:19–20 (NLT) Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

WE Our nation is divided, fighting battles within and without. While dealing with the health and economic struggle that is COVID 19, the deaths, demonstrations, riots and looting add to the turmoil. It appears as if a fire is burning among us and no one knows how to put it out.

I want to be very clear this morning. Man, left to himself, will never solve these problems. From the days of Cain and Abel until now, sin has infected the human heart so deeply that, as Jesus said,

Matthew 10:36 (NLT) Your enemies will be right in your own household!

The Apostle Paul made this declaration:

Galatians 5:14–15 (NLT) For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.

GOD God can heal our nation, if, we will let Him. There is not going to be a political resolution; there is not going to be a philosophical resolution; there is not going to be a sociological resolution. We need a divine resolution, a revival that will sweep over us and bring all of us to our knees and to the end of ourselves. When revival comes, we will love God and love each other. There is no other way!

The Church, the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, is called to demonstrate the power of agape love to change the heart and the actions. Right actions flow from a humble, right heart.

God intended the Church to be for all peoples and all nations. This is demonstrated clearly in the book of Acts. Allow me to make several points, then illustrate these points by a Biblical case study.

The NT Church is multi: multi-national, multi-cultural, multi-racial.

Acts 1:8 (NLT) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

The NT church was birthed at Pentecost with people from every nation.

Acts 2:1–11 ((NLT) 1 On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. 2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. 5 At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. 6 When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. 7 They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, 8 and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! 9 Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), 11 Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!”

The NT church includes hated people, the Samaritans.

Acts 8:4–8 (NLT) 4 But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went. 5 Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah. 6 Crowds listened intently to Philip because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did. 7 Many evil spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims. And many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.

The NT church includes all races and all people.

Acts 8:26–27 (NLT) 26 As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship,

Not only was he black, he was also a eunuch.

The NT church includes outcast nations, the Gentiles.

Acts 10:9–16 (NLT) 9 The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, 10 and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. 12 In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. 13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.” 14 “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.” 15 But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” 16 The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven.

Acts 10:28 (NLT) Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean.

Acts 10:34–35 (NLT) Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. 35 In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.

Peter speaks to this in his letters.

1 Peter 2:10 (NLT) Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.

In spite of all this, the early church still had problems with racism and discrimination.

Acts 6:1 (NLT) But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

How did they deal with it?

Acts 6:2–6 (NLT) 2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. 3 And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. 4 Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.” 5 Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). 6 These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.

1.     They admitted there was a problem.

2.     They involved the entire church.

3.     The apostles did not try to solve it themselves. They continued to preach and teach.

4.     The church raised up leaders to deal with it. The deacons happened to be Greek speakers.

5.     Prayer sealed the deal.

What was the result?

Acts 6:7 (NLT) So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.

This was not the only incident in Acts and the rest of the NT. Racism and discrimination raised its ugly head many times. Why? Men are sinners; racism and discrimination are sins. Only the church can deal with it effectively. Only the grace of God can heal the sinful heart. That is why the apostles kept preaching. They knew that only the Good News of Jesus could make the difference in individuals and ultimately society and culture.

We know the church will get it right.

Revelation 5:9–10 (NLT) And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.”

Revelation 7:9–12 (NLT) After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Brothers and Sisters: Let us work together to make this prayer of Jesus a reality in our lifetime. Let us be of one heart and one mind. Let us all come to You as the only one who can make us one.

John 17:21 (NLT) I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

PRAYER