Foundations of the Church - Transformed: May 18th, 2014 sermon

By Pastor Greg

         As you read through the New Testament one thing you will notice is a transformation that happened in those who followed Jesus.  In the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) we are introduced to disciples; people who followed Jesus.  We read about the Twelve Apostles; those Jesus called to work alongside Him.  But these men seemed ill-equipped for the task they would eventually be given; to continue the work of Jesus here on earth.  These men seemed blind to the Kingdom of Heaven and blind to the needs of others.  They didn’t seem to care for anyone except themselves.  Peter chose to deny Jesus three times instead of speaking up in His defense (Luke 22:34).  John was ready to call down fire from heaven so that those who opposed Jesus might be destroyed (Luke 9:54).  Most of the group suffered from a “Me” mentality; they only cared about themselves.  But in order for these men to continue the work of Jesus, they needed to move from “Me to Thee”.

          By the time we get to the book of Acts, something changes in these men.  Something caused them to see this world in a whole new way.  For example, this same Peter and this same John, the same men who were selfish and indifferent toward others, begin to notice things and do things that indicate their attitude has moved from “Me to Thee”.  And their eyes have not just moved toward God, but toward others as well.  (Read Acts 3:1-10).

          At one point, Peter had no desire to tell others about Jesus.  He was more concerned about his own safety.  At one point, John looked down on those who were not part of the group.  But transformed, these two men noticed the needs of those around them; the need for people to hear and know about Jesus.  Peter and John did not simply walk past this man like everyone else did.  They saw this man and saw his need.  And in the name of Jesus they reached out to this man.  This time, when given an opportunity to proclaim Jesus, Peter speaks up, even when he finds himself in trouble (see Acts 4).

          Well, this transformation continues in the book of Acts.  We meet a Pharisee named Saul who was threatening the early church.  Here was a man who hunted down Christians and had them arrested.  But one day he meets Jesus, and afterwards this same man, now called Paul, begins to proclaim Jesus as Savior and Lord.

          There is a marked difference in these men.  There is a definite difference in the way they see Jesus and the way they see the world.  Their outlook in life has moved from “Me” to “Thee”; from themselves to God and from themselves to others.  And it’s clear that this difference can be attributed to one certain event; the baptism of the Holy Spirit in these people’s lives.  In order for God to use the early church, He had to prepare the church for His work.  He needed these early followers of Jesus to move their hearts from “Me” to “Thee”.  And He accomplished this by the power of the Spirit.  And this group of early Christians, who had their eyes opened to the needs of others, were able to change their world.

          One of the marks of a believer is someone who cares about the Eternal Destiny of the lost.  A Champion of the Faith is someone willing to speak up and tell others about Jesus.  Likewise, another distinguishing characteristic of a believer is someone who has their eyes opened to the needs of others, especially those overlooked by the rest of the world.  Unfortunately these characteristics don’t seem to be quite as evident in today’s church as they were when the church began.  Today it seems that most Christians are content to remain silent about Jesus.  Today most Christians are more concerned about their own comfort than the the needs of others.  As I look at Christianity in general, the most prevalent attitude I see is “Me” rather than “Thee”.  Truthfully it seems pretty clear that many Christians today need to experience the same transformation these early followers did.  Most of us need the Spirit to move our hearts away from “Me” toward “Thee”.  And if we don’t then the church will be filled with people ill-equipped to continue the work of Jesus.

          It seems the prevalent attitude in the American church is not “Thee” but “Me”.  And if God needed to transform the early Christians away from this attitude before He could use them, perhaps He needs to transform us as well.  Perhaps in order for us to first become one of these Champions of the Faith, the Spirit will need to move us from “Me” to “Thee”.

          What really strikes me about the early church was its ability to change people and change an entire community.  Paul and Silas had such an effect on the city of Ephesus that people were no longer participating in the worship of Artemis (compare Acts 19:23-27).  How did this happen?  It’s because the church was first transformed.  People genuinely cared about the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of others.  They realized that the Lord did not hang on a cross so they could keep a pew warm, but so that they might continue the work He first began.

          I believe the same thing can happen today.  I believe the only thing keeping today’s church from transforming the world is a “me” centered attitude; where the church is more concerned about itself than it is about others.  But if we could just learn to see others as Peter and John did; to stop a moment and care for those the world has neglected, I am convinced a church full of people with this attitude could change the world.