The Priorities of a Great Church

Joel Gorveatte · Tidal Church Moncton · August 21, 2022 · What Makes a Church Great? series

Joel Gorveatte looks at Acts 1 to 3 to show what the early church put first: God's anointing before busy activity, quality that leads to growth, and spiritual power before possessions. A great church rests on the presence and power of God.

More from Joel Gorveatte · The What Makes a Church Great? series

Topics: Prayer, Holy Spirit, Mission & Outreach

Transcript

[0:00] Hey, hey. All right. Two Sundays, two Sundays to try to teach you everything I know. I hope you ate your lunch early today. We have been so busy over this last month and last week. Thank you for your graciousness in allowing us to be away last week. We did a FaceTime because, you know, basically for those of you who have not heard the story, you're like, "What are you talking about, Joel?" That back on July 17th, we kind of laid out the whole thing about how Tracy and I are moving to New York City, and without going into all the details, I would just encourage you, if you did not hear that message, it gives the whole story on July 17th.

[0:54] And so you can go back and listen. That message was called "How to Grow Your Faith Muscle." And so the last six weeks has been kind of a whirlwind of selling our house and all of our vehicles and all the stuff, and all the preparation and trying to get an apartment, which, thank the Lord, God provided. And so we're really, really just so great for that, because our house, we have to be out by August 31st, and we didn't have anywhere to go. And so we're just glad that we actually have a place to have a bed now and a roof over our heads. But it's not like life in most places. Our refrigerator in the apartment is about this big.

[1:43] And it's because the apartment is only about this big. And so we're going to take what little we think, and if we can't fit it, we're gonna sell it online. And so if you know anybody in New York City who needs anything, we might be selling all the stuff that we took too much of and doesn't fit in the apartment. In fact, last night we were putting out stuff that we're donating to, you know, truckloads to Harvest House and charity. And Tracy came and found me while I was going through my notes getting ready to teach today. And she said, "Joel, you're not keeping these." And it was just very gracious of her to even tell me what she was doing. That she was throwing out one of many things that she's thrown out that I've had for 27, 30 years or so: the snakeskin cowboy boots that I used to wear in university. And I said, "No, I was gonna wear those to church tomorrow."

[2:42] And she ran out of the room and I've never seen them since. Apparently the apartment is not even big enough for snakeskin cowboy boots. And so if you see anybody from Harvest House wearing them in the next month, you know that they were mine. And so let me just ask one of the two last times that I get to ask you this: Are you ready to study God's Word today? Come on. The foundation for our lives, the light for our path, the lamp for our feet. And so today I really wrestled with in these last two Sundays, what do you do when you try to unpack some closing thoughts?

[3:32] And I know it may or may not seem like my place, because after next Sunday, I will no longer be the lead pastor of this church. But I wonder if I might be able to cast a vision for the future. That's not my vision, but hopefully a Biblical vision to answer the question. If we want to just put this on the screen for a second: What makes a church great? Not that yet. Keep going. Don't you, you already gave away the answer. What makes a church great? Well, we're gonna explore some stuff today, because frankly, everybody has an answer to this question, and I know because I've gotten the emails.

[4:21] I hear all the time, and there are online entire websites and TikTok channels and viral videos that are devoted to criticizing churches with millions of views. And over the last few years, some have defined the greatness of a church by what they did or didn't do related to COVID. Some have tried to define the greatness of a church by what programs they have for the whole family. Some say, "Oh, it has to be a big church in order to be great," and others say, "Oh no, no, big churches are bad. It has to be a small church, only small churches are great."

[5:16] Some define the greatness of a church by the style of music or by the style of preaching, and many of these external things that often, if we were to be honest, many times have to do with our own personal wiring and preferences and perspectives and personal taste. And frankly, can I just say, I don't think most of the online so-called experts are even qualified to evaluate what makes a church great? You're like, "Well, Joel, that's very arrogant of you. Who are you to say?" Exactly, because I don't even think that I am qualified to evaluate what makes a church great, but there's someone who is, and it's the Apostle Paul in the New Testament.

[6:10] You see, Paul spent his entire life devoted to identifying what makes a church effective in its mission. And it all started when Paul had a life-changing encounter with God on the road to Damascus, and he surrendered his life to Jesus, and from that point forward, he went around planting churches in from city to city, and those churches began to grow and expand across that part of the Roman world and eventually around the world, to the point that it is safe to say that almost every church that exists around the world today, including this church, comes as a descendant of those churches that Paul himself planted almost 2,000 years ago. So if there is anyone who is qualified to identify what makes a church great, it would be the Apostle Paul. And so what we're going to look at today and next Sunday, we're gonna unpack this for two weeks. We're going to look at how every church that Paul worked with, he continually emphasized the need for three qualities. Are you ready?

[7:33] Here they are. Shout it out. Everybody say "faith." Say "hope." Say "love." Okay, I'm not convinced yet. Say one more time, "faith." "Hope" and "love." Look at 1 Corinthians 13:13. Paul says all the stuff in this world will fade away, but he said in the end, these three will remain. Faith, hope, and love, Paul says, any measure of greatness or anything of lasting significance will be rooted in these three things. What are they? Say it with me: faith, hope, and love. And guess what? It's not just Paul. Jesus said the same thing. Find John chapter 13. See, Paul didn't make this up, that these defining characteristics of faith, hope, and love come directly from the teaching of Jesus here in John chapter 13. Jesus was teaching the disciples, and He said, "Guys, there are three things that I want to see flowing out of your life." Let's begin reading in John 13, verse 1.

[8:44] It was just before the Passover Feast. And Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father, and because He knew that, He laid out for them the teaching of what was really important. And here's what He said. Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love. So He modeled it for them, and then keep going to verse 34. And in verse 34, He tells them, "A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." Jesus said they will know you are disciples how? If you love one another. In other words, Jesus was saying if people don't see His love in you, then it actually calls into question whether you really are His disciple.

[9:59] Not just that you say that you love, but do they see that you love? Because Jesus said this is how they will know that you are disciples. And then this teaching keeps flowing into the next chapter. Look at John 14, verse 1. Jesus says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father's house..." So we start talking about this heavenly vision. "In My Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me, so that you also may be where I am." And so Jesus is talking about hope in Christ. Your future is secure. Jesus is gonna win in the end. The story has already been written. Your hope is secure in Christ. And then guess what comes next in chapter 14?

[11:13] He challenges their faith down in verse 12. "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." And so Jesus emphasizes their faith. Jesus looked at this ragtag group of disciples who had been following Him around for three years, and throughout that time, He had been trying to develop in them these three qualities: faith, hope, and what? Love. Now, let's jump over a couple of pages to the right to the book of Acts. And in your Bible, find Acts chapter 1, which shows us the very beginning of the church, right after Jesus returned to heaven.

[12:15] And many scholars and church leaders point to the book of Acts as the ultimate example, our pattern, for what makes a church great. And John Maxwell and others say that the first three chapters of Acts reveal to us the priorities of the early church. You can't have everything equal, right? There are some things that you have to prioritize over other things. And so we're going to come back next week to talk about faith, hope, and love, but for the rest of our time today, what we're gonna do is hunker down in chapters 1, 2, and 3 of Acts to see the priorities of the early church. And the first one is this, number one: Anointing comes before activity.

[13:07] Now, for some of you this might sound familiar, this point, because if you were here years ago on the very first Sunday that I stood on this platform as the pastor of this church, I presented these three priorities. And I pray, as much as anything, that we have tried to make these three things true from the book of Acts. And the first one is that anointing must come before activity. Picking up in Acts chapter 1, verses 4-5: "On one occasion, while Jesus was eating with them, He gave them this command. He said, 'Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about.

[14:02] For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'" And so Jesus says to wait. Wait for what? Wait for the gift. What's the gift? To be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Well, what does that mean to be baptized with the Holy Spirit? Well, I'm glad you asked, because Jesus then says in verse 8, here's what happens. Verse 8, Jesus said, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." You see, the Spirit of God empowers us to go out and be witnesses. In other words, we cannot do the work of God apart from the Spirit of God.

[15:01] And sometimes in the church we can get this confused. Sometimes what will happen is we start to get confused and we think that busyness is equal to holiness. We busy ourselves with all the things that we need to do for God, which are so important, and we start serving God, and we start serving in ministry and trying to help other people, and we're doing our Bible study, and we're doing all the commitments, and we're seeing how many projects we can start and how many missions things we can be involved in, which are all wonderful, wonderful things. But the problem is this: all that busyness can lead to a bust. We get tired and worn out, and here's what happens. We see it again and again, and some of you, maybe this has been your story. In fact, for many who are here at Moncton Wesleyan, we hear from years gone by that many of you gave up on church many years ago because of this very thing, and only recently have you started to come back and engage in the life of spiritual community because you discovered this to be true. Here's what we found.

[16:10] That's so often when people drop out of ministry and when people drift away from the church. So often what they will say is, "Well, I tried all of that Jesus stuff. I got involved in all the ministries of the church, but it just left me tired and worn out," and yes, it's true. Here's why: it is the danger of doing the work of God apart from the Spirit of God. And so churches get so busy with 50 different ministries for everybody to be involved in all the time because we want to do so. Well, we want to help people so much. But so many Christians, we work for God apart from the empowerment of the Spirit of God, and we end up like a V8 engine with only three cylinders and half a spark plug that ends up broken down on the side of the road. Have you been there?

[17:12] We've all been there. And let me tell you the secret: The anointing of God only comes through prayer, through getting into His Word, and learning His ways. But not just what we do. It's not our doing, it's our being in Him. And what's often true is people would love to get involved in all the ministries of the church except when it comes to prayer. In fact, if you want people to get involved in prayer, generally you have to cause problems, because only when things get messy to people often fall on their knees. And people say, "Oh wait, Joel, I pray at home all the time. I pray all by myself.

[18:06] Me and Jesus." And that's good, that's important, your relationship, your personal relationship with God. But listen: Where the power is, is where the Scripture says, where two or three are gathered together. Is where the Spirit of God begins to move. We have prayer ministries all throughout the church, but for some of you, where this begins is in your small group. And if you're not yet part of a small group, go to mw.church/ smallgroups and sign up to be part of one this fall as we launch so many new small groups that you can be part of, or maybe even that God is calling you to lead one of those new groups.

[18:54] Prayer needs to be the foundation of everything we do, because, let's put this back on the screen again, because anointing comes before activity. Don't ever forget, a busy church and a busy life apart from the presence and power of God is a recipe for disaster. Number two: Quality comes before quantity. Quality comes before quantity. Let's continue with Acts 1:14. It says, "They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers." And so what did they do when they came together? It says they, what? They prayed.

[19:49] And here's what happened, verse 15: "In those days Peter stood up among the believers, a group numbering about a hundred and twenty." While that sounds like a nice comfortable little church, right? A hundred and twenty people. And some people will say, "Moncton Wesleyan, that church is too big." You've heard it. Some of you people will say, "I can't believe you go to that church. There are just too many people. You can't have quality with that many people." But listen, here is the truth: a church isn't better because it's big or because it's small. Bigger isn't better, smaller isn't better, biblical is better.

[20:38] Because that first little group of Christians, just with just a hundred and twenty people, they were a praying church. They were quality. They were going deep, they were committed. They were telling people about Jesus and inviting people to church and serving out on their community. And what was the result? Go to chapter 2 and find verse 41. Acts 2:41 says, "Those who accepted his message were baptized." This is, folks, this is just in the very next chapter. "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3,000 were added to their number that day." Come on now, next time somebody complains that your church is too big, show them this verse. It was a growing church, and what happened in Acts chapter 2 because of the quality of those people, just a hundred and twenty people operating in faith, hope, and love, and their quality produced quantity.

[21:40] Amen. She's not just for us. People say, people say all that, "I'm, you know, I'm into quality, not quantity." And so that's why it doesn't really matter how many people we reach for Jesus, as long as we're, we're a quality church. But that's like saying, you know, "I went to the mall and I have six kids, and I only found four of them, but I'm gonna leave now because at least I got the quality kids, the rest can just go on their way." Right? Listen, it's not about the numbers, folks, please don't misunderstand. It's not about numbers. A big church is not better, and a small church is not better. What's better is a church that is carrying out its mission in Jesus, loving our city and giving our best for the glory of God. That's why this fall, this fall we are going to be part of, this is good stuff, we're gonna be part of this fall, Love Atlantic.

[22:50] Now, you'll remember, here for years we did, prior to COVID, Love Weeks, where we would go out and serve in the city. And now other churches are coming together, not just in Moncton, in Moncton, in Saint John, in Fredericton, in Miramichi and Saint Stephen and Nova Scotia even. Did you know that there are even Christians in Prince Edward Island? It's amazing, and they're gonna come together in places like Charlottetown and Summerside, and churches are gonna come together, each one, each church doing individual ministry, small groups going out into the community, finding projects to do to make a difference.

[23:36] Maybe your small group, or maybe you'll, as a family, you'll just go out and pick up trash on the side of the highway. Maybe you'll pick up trash in your own only front yard. That'd be a good start. And go out and do projects for our public schools and whatever we can do. And you, so you're gonna hear more about this next month. So stay tuned in September. But here's the deal: It's not about the size of our church. It's about the size of our impact. As the great Pastor Buckingham has said for many years. It was called the Moncton Wesleyan Manifesto. I don't think Dr. B is here today. Is he? I think he's somewhere. He's not here today, right?

[24:22] Good. I hope he's not watching online. Because I thought about doing something that I've never ever done before for another human being my entire life. Do you think I could do it, a Pastor Doctor LD Buckingham impersonation? I So if I get in trouble, it's your fault. As the great Pastor Buckingham has said for so many years, we must use every available method in every available place at every available time to reach every available person for Christ. Everything we do is for that purpose.

[25:15] Dr. B, if you see this online, that was done out of love. We love you so much, and I just, there will be more. For those of you who do not know that name, if you're new around here or watching online and have not been here before, Dr. LD Buckingham is the pastor emeritus here at this church, pastored for over 40 years this church and built this amazing facility, is the leader, and he has been an amazing mentor to me, and one more time. Can we give it up? We love you, Dr. B.

[26:02] And let's put it back on the screen just one more time so you can see it. That is a quality vision. For decades, that has been the vision and purpose of this church. Number three, number three: spiritual power comes before possessions. Power is more important than possessions. Let's move on to the next chapter, Acts 3:2 through 6. Now a man crippled from birth. A man crippled from birth was being carried because he could not walk for himself. He was being carried to the Temple Gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.

[26:50] And when he saw Peter and John about to enter, there laying on his mat, he asked them for money. And Peter looked straight at him, as did John, and then Peter said, "Look at us." And so the man gave them his full attention, expecting to get something from them, to get money. And then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk." He said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus, get up and walk." Saint Francis of Assisi was a radical reformer of the church back 800 years ago. And one day the pope was giving him a tour of the Vatican, showing all of the riches and jewels and the grandeur of the facilities that the church had possessed, and the pope turned to Saint Francis and said with pride, "No longer can the church say, 'Silver or gold have we none.'" And Saint Francis said, "That is true, and also no longer can your church say, 'Get up in the name of Jesus and walk.'" Listen, in the early church, they didn't have a lot of possessions, but what they had was a lot of power. And if only we could realize that the greatness of Moncton Wesleyan has nothing to do with material blessings.

[28:32] The greatness of a church is not measured by the size of its building or by the size of its crowd or by the size of its budget. Jesus wasn't rich. The apostles were not rich in money, but they were rich in faith, hope, and love, which is what we're going to talk about next week. And so listen, if you will. Please make it a priority. I would love to be able to see you next week for my last Sunday. Because I want to share with you something from the New Testament next week that I had read through the New Testament so many times and missed, and I'm wondering if there are many of you who have never seen it either. And it is a key. Once you understand this key, it is a key that unlocks your understanding to many of the Epistles that were written to the New Testament churches by the Apostle Paul.

[29:32] And I can't wait to share that with you next week. It lays out the foundation of who we are and where we are going as a church. But today we see the success of the early church, that it wasn't their ministries. As important as those are, it wasn't their ministries. It was the presence and power of God. It wasn't their music. As important as worship is, it was the presence and power of God. It wasn't their pastor. It wasn't the preaching. It wasn't their programming.

[30:19] It was the presence and power of God. And so let me ask you one more time, how many of you are expectant and praying and believing for a fresh move of God in this place? Amen. Come on. Come, Lord Jesus. Holy Spirit, do Your work. And maybe that's what you need in your life today. Listen, we've been talking a lot about, kind of, the church in general, but guess what? The church is people. And maybe you're here today and you realize that this is what has been missing in your life as well. Maybe you have gotten things a little out of order, and you've been so busy with all of your activities apart from the anointing of God.

[31:14] You have been more of a human doing than a human being in the presence of your Creator, who loves you and wants you to experience the fullness of life that can only come from the outpouring of His Holy Spirit. Maybe today you need to call upon Him, just as Jesus said, to wait before you do anything else, that you need to fall on your knees and wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit, to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And maybe that's what you need today, to ask, "Lord, I confess my sin to You. I confess my selfishness to You. I confess that I've done all of these things, but I've put You in the background. I've not lived a life of full surrender to You. And so today, in the name of Jesus, I invite You to come and fill me with Your Holy Spirit.

[32:02] I want to be filled with Your Spirit, anointing, Lord. May Your anointing cover me." Maybe maybe today you've been so busy in the pursuit of success. Maybe today, maybe it's been about possessions, the pursuit of things that you thought would make you happy. And I'm here to tell you: The people who have the most stuff, he or she who has the most toys, does not win. That is a game for losers.

[32:51] And all you have to do is ask anybody who has it all. All the stuff, and they will tell you beyond the shadow of any doubt, it does not make you happy. You need His power and presence more than any possession you could ever have. And so today, what we're going to do in just a minute, we're going to pray as we get ready to receive communion. So if you just remain seated, and we invite the ushers to come forward with our communion elements today.

[33:39] And so earlier on we looked at John 13 and 14, where Jesus is nearing the end of His ministry with them. And after He taught them that none of this is accessed apart from faith. "Do you believe in Me?" Jesus challenged their faith. And He promised them their hope for the future, that He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it. He's not done with you yet. He's not done with this church yet. He's not done with your family yet. He's not done here with your career yet. Whatever it is that you think that hope is gone, Jesus is here to tell you He is the source of your hope.

[34:35] And then love. Jesus reminded them that the meaning of life is to have this love relationship with your Heavenly Father, who sent a Son to die on the cross so that you can be forgiven for your sins, because He loves you. And He wants you to love Him back. And when you surrender, when you confess your sin to Him and receive Him into your life, He fills you up with His love so that it starts to overflow and spill out to the people around you. And all of a sudden people say, "Well, I don't know about all that Jesus stuff, and I don't know about all the stuff that you believe, and I don't know about that church that you're part of."

[35:20] But one thing they cannot deny is that they would look at you and see how much you love. And because of your love they would say, "Maybe there is something to that Jesus thing after all." And so on that night, after He had taught them these things, He reminded them of the sacrificial system in the Old Testament, that the punishment for sin is always death. There is no forgiveness apart from the shedding of blood. And so in the Old Testament, an animal would die on the altar, and your sins would be put upon it.

[36:08] The animal's blood would be spilled out for the forgiveness of your sin. The lamb died in your place so that you could be forgiven and go free. And then Jesus comes along and makes this bold claim and says, "I am the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." And it was so hard for them to understand what He meant by that. But in the night before He was crucified, He gathered them together in the upper room. And on that Thursday night at the Passover feast, He took the bread, and He broke it, and He gave it to them, and He said, "This is My body that will be broken for you. Eat and give thanks." And then He took the cup.

[37:04] And these young Jewish people in the room understood because their entire lives they had seen the sacrificial system at work in the temple in Jerusalem. Countless times they had seen an animal's blood shed for the forgiveness of their sin. And so for them, this communion made sense to them in a way that often it does not to us, because they knew what that was like. And so Jesus said on that night, "This is My blood that takes away your sin. My blood will be shed to take the place, to take the punishment that you deserve."

[37:59] And He gave them that cup. That's what we've done for these last few thousand years whenever we join together in a place like this and receive the Eucharist together.