5/13/07 - Easter 6 - Acts 14:8-18

WE OFFER THE GOSPEL
- Regardless of the "extras"
- Regardless of what people want

We had a building committee meeting this last week and another meeting with the city. To talk about the building project, to find out what our options are, to nail down specific costs and requirements… It’s frustrating. I think the entire building committee would admit - it’s been a frustrating process trying to build a church on a piece of property we already own. There have been many possibilities that have become dead ends. Many times our progress has been followed up by unexpected setbacks. Now, don’t get me wrong. I have no doubt we will build a facility - it’ll simply be on God’s timetable and according to his plans. And I am not disheartened by the situation either. I am extremely encouraged by you - the Lord’s people. Over the past few months I have been blown away by your generosity! Both with the plans of giving that many of you have handed to us and with the offerings that many of you have given over and above what we were expecting. I commend you for that. The Lord commends you for that because “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). And so although it has been a little frustrating, the Lord has encouraged me with your Christian love and especially this week with the sermon text. As I read through Acts 14 this week, I was reminded that whether we build a worship facility or not, what we offer will always remain the same. A new church building might give us more opportunities or venues or avenues. But regardless of the “extras,” regardless of what people want, we will offer the gospel. That has always been our policy. And no matter what happens in the future, that will never change.
Could you take a look with me at Acts 14 in your bulletins? What was Paul doing as the story begins? Paul was speaking to the people, undoubtedly about Christ. And Paul and Barnabas didn’t have any of the normal “extras” that we think of: a new church building, a preschool, various programs and groups... Paul and Barnabas didn’t even have a storefront! They were going town to town preaching the good news to anyone that would listen. And yet, what they offered was no different from what we offer. They offered the gospel - regardless of the “extras.”
You will notice, though, that Paul and Barnabas had an “extra” that we do not have. Those two apostles were blessed with the gift of healing people. Paul “called out, ‘Stand up on your feet!’ At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.” What an amazing “extra” to offer! What a unique way in which to draw people in! What an attention grabber that they could use to peak people’s interest! But the amazing thing is: that’s not what Paul and Barnabas were using that “extra” for. They did not enter town healing all the sick they came across, nor were they promoting this wonderful gift to gather a larger crowd. Their focus was on grabbing people’s attention with the Good News. And so even when they had that something “extra” that no one else could offer, they didn’t offer it to them! They made the gospel their number one priority. Sure, they took advantage of the fact that people were drawn in by this miracle. But Paul immediately turned their attention away from it. “We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God.” The gospel was what Paul and Barnabas cared about. The gospel was the only thing they were going to offer to that crowd of lost souls.
We could learn from Paul and Barnabas here. Because as we continue on with this building project, we cannot get distracted by it. Don’t hang your hat on it! Don’t base your duty of spreading the Word on this “extra.” I cringe when I catch myself limiting the power of God’s gospel to the effect four walls and a roof could have. Or limiting its power to the effectiveness of programs or of visibility or of advertisements. The gospel “is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). God doesn’t need a building to enhance the gospel’s appeal. God doesn’t need different and various church programs to give the gospel an extra boost. And how egotistical it is of us when we fall into that way of thinking! There’s a big difference between doing what we humanly can with the blessings God gives us on this earth, and on the other hand, ever so subtly letting our minds begin to think that those “extras” we offer will help us accomplish things that the gospel hasn’t quite done yet by itself. Oh, how foolish we are! How easily we forget what brought us to faith and what keeps us there! How soon our inbred sinfulness emerges from deep within. Do we really think we have something better to offer others than what God has given us? Do we really think our own ridiculous ideas will have a better chance and we be more powerful than the power God promise through the gospel? I pray that the Lord closes this church down if programs and facilities or entertainment or any other “extra” crowds out the gospel. This happens in our own minds embarrassingly often. May this never happen to us as a congregation.
I thank the Lord that it hasn’t up until this point. I thank the Lord that he has motivated us by the gospel and has instilled in us a love and respect for his Word that obligates us to offer it to the world regardless of the “extras” we have or don’t have. And I thank the Lord especially for turning us away from these worthless things and to the living God. The one who made the heavens and the earth. The one who gives us all food and clothing. The one who “fills [our] hearts with joy.” Our hearts will never be filled with joy because of a building - no matter how big and majestic it is. The Lord fills our hearts with joy by giving us the very thing we offer to others: the pure, simple gospel. Forgiveness of sins, eternal life, peace with God, comfort in times of sorrow, joy in times of trouble, hope in times of sadness. That’s the gospel that he has offered to us. That’s the gospel that has saved us. That’s the only thing we will ever offer to others because that’s the only thing they need.
But that’s not what they want. Please understand that the gospel is not exactly what people want at first. The crowds of people in our text for today didn’t really care about what Paul and Barnabas were saying, they cared about what the apostles could do for them. And it’s no different today. People want to know: what can your church do for me? And many churches today cater to those wants. Saddleback Church in California, at which Rick Warren is the pastor - the author of a Purpose Driven Life and a Purpose Driven Church - they offer eight different styles of worship services every week. They have groups for gradeschool kids, junior high, highschool age, college age, 20 somethings, singles, men, women, couples, and entire families. Small group get-togethers, special guests, community events, and 17 different sporting activities you can get involved with. Are those things bad? No, not in and of themselves. But when those things start taking priority over the gospel, when those things are no longer used specifically to spread the gospel but to simply bolster the membership roster, when the gospel itself becomes an afterthought, then there is a problem. And so we as a congregation, no matter how big we become, or how small we remain, we must always offer the gospel. We don’t want to put up a front. We don’t want to “trick” people in to coming here for a different reason. We must offer the gospel. Regardless of what people want.
Because the truth of it is: people not only want the “extras,” they want to hear something different than the message we preach! It happened to Paul and Barnabas. They preached the law and the gospel but the people didn’t want to hear it. Our sermon text stops at verse 18 when the apostles barely were able to stop the crowd from sacrificing to them. The very next verse, though, is key to this story. “Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.” Those same people who had wanted to sacrifice bulls to Paul as a god just moments before, stoned him in the next! They tried to kill Paul because they were not interested in hearing the Word.
Don’t think that it’s any different now. I pray that you won’t be stoned for spreading the gospel, but you can be sure that those who do not believe in their Savior will not want to hear about it. They don’t want to hear that they are sinners. They don’t want to hear that they ought to go to hell because of their unbelief. They don’t want to hear that they can’t earn their way to heaven. They don’t want to hear that salvation is absolutely free! Because it doesn’t make sense! It goes against everything we know as human beings! You get what you pay for. You receive what you have earned. But that’s not the case when it comes to eternal life. People do not want to hear that because their human nature says that it can’t be. Everyone’s human nature tells them, “You have to do at least something. It can’t be absolutely free. That’s too easy. It’s too simple. It doesn’t make sense.” But that’s what God clearly says. That’s the gospel. And that’s what we offer. Regardless of what people want.
This congregation, at this point in time, is striving to build a new church building in order to expand our opportunities to spread the Word, in order to grow, in order to thrive as a congregation. Will we ever become a self-supporting congregation? Will we ever grow to a size that rivals the other churches in this city? Who knows. I’ll leave that up to the Lord and deal with it when we get there. Will we stay the same? Might we even decline in membership? Maybe. Maybe this church won’t last another five years. Again, I’ll leave that in the Lord’s hands and deal with it if we get there. But I can tell you one thing. Through growth or decline. In a new building or a storefront. To 500 people or 5. Up to next week or into the next decade. We will offer the gospel. The pure gospel. The simple gospel. The live-giving gospel. That is what the Lord commands. And that offer is what the Lord promises to bless. Thank the Lord that he has given us this gospel and the opportunity to offer this Good News to world.
Amen.

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, ‘Amen!’ Praise the Lord.” - Psalm 106:48