“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 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. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

-Acts 2:36-47

The Five Marks of a Healthy Church

  • Awesome Worship
    • To worship God is to honour Him, in response to what He has done
    • "... everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs", "praising God", "praying to God"
  • Warm Fellowship
    • "they devoted themselves to fellowship ... and to the breaking of bread", "together", "had everything in common", "ate together with glad and sincere hearts"
  • Devoted Discipleship
    • "meeting together in the temple courts"
  • Loving Service
    • "gave to anyone who had need"
    • They used what they had (spiritual gifts and physical/material gifts) to meet the needs of others
  • Winsome Outreach
    • "enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

Why These Five?

Each one meets a basic human need:

  • Meaning/Purpose (worship - connects us to something bigger)
  • Relationship (fellowship - we need people)
  • Way of Life (discipleship - we need direction)
  • Work (service)
  • Mission (outreach)

They also give us a basic outline of the Christian journey for growth: Connecting with God (worship) puts us into the family of God (fellowship), where we grow as God's children (discipleship), who help one another (service) and bring healing to a dying world (outreach).

They reflect obedience to Jesus's great commands:

  • Love the Lord your God (worship)
  • Baptizing them into a union and fellowship of Christ (fellowship)
  • Teaching them to obey (discipleship)
  • Love your neighbour as yourself (service)
  • Go and make disciples (outreach)

What is the Root of a Healthy Church?

The Good Vews about Jesus. "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah." (vs. 36)

Application

If a church needs balance to be healthy, then we need to guard against imbalance and division. To be one body doesn't mean agreement on everything-- it means agreement on the essential things.

Be rooted in the Gospel.

Strive to be a church that does balanced, healthy ministry. Not about doing one thing, or a million-- prioritizing the essential key things that Jesus commands. These give the church a focus, an ability to evaluate how we're doing,  

 

Questions for Small Groups
  1. Have you ever been part of a community or organization that you felt lacked balance? What was missing, and how did it affect your experience?
  2. What are the five marks of a healthy church according to the sermon, and why do you think each of these marks is important?
  3. A church can encode the marks of a healthy church in their “core values”—values that can be used to mobilize a church’s efforts and help evaluate a church’s ministry. Is it possible to have too many or too few core values? What happens at either end of the spectrum?
  4. What is one area of Runnymede Community Church that you feel needs “re-balancing”?

 

Missed this Sunday's sermon? Watch it here!

 

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