Acts: Prescriptive or Descriptive?

In a desire to create multiple layers to my preaching, I’ll be supplementing my sermons with a few blog articles too. I pray they are useful to you.  Here is the first article: sunday-extra

There are many ways to ask this question: Is the Book of Acts theological or historical?  Are the events in Acts only describing historical events which mean nothing to the church today or are they prescribing specific theological truths the church should emulate?  Are the events recorded in the Book of Acts normative or unique?  No matter how you ask the question, my answer is always the same; Yes.  The events in Acts are both descriptive and prescriptive.

There are some events which are undoubtedly historical and thus, unrepeatable.   Acts chapter 2 is describing a unique and unrepeatable event.  Like the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, the Day of Pentecost is a one-time event describing the clothing of the church with power from on high (Luke 24:49).  “You could no more have Pentecost over gain than you could have the Crucifixion and the Resurrection over again” (Acts: An Expositional Commentary by Donald Grey Barnhouse, page 26). Is Paul’s salvation experience normative for you and me?  Should we see a great light and hear the voice of Jesus when we are saved?  Should we elect our deacons, elders, and team members by casting lots the way the early church chose Mathias?  These are just a few examples of historical one-time events described in the pages of Luke’s writing.  John Stott says, “It should be clear from these examples that not everything that people are recorded in the Acts as having done or experienced is meant to be replicated in our lives” (The Message of Acts by John Stott, page 8).

There is no doubt Luke describes events God has no intention for the church to recapture or recreate.  However, I think there is much in Acts Luke prescribes for the church today. We are to be filled with power from the Holy Spirit.  We are to be a bold witness for the Gospel.  We must model Paul and take the Gospel to every tribe, nation, and tongue.  Like the members of the early church, we must be committed to the cause of Christ, we must proclaim the Gospel boldly and with passion, we must be willing to sacrifice everything we own for the good of others and the glory of God, and we must be willing to even die for the sake of the Gospel.  Furthermore, the same God who breathed life into the church on the Day of Pentecost is the same God that breathes life into His church today.  Like the early church, God clothes us with power from on high. Therefore, go and live in that power, being a bold witness for our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Be Our Guest – Invite

As a pastor of nearly 20 years, I absolutely love Easter.  I love what it means to my Be out guestpersonal faith.  Jesus is alive; He has risen.  The resurrection of Jesus changes everything.  I love what it means to my church. Whether it was a very small church I pastored of 12 people or a little larger church of nearly 300, Easter was and is or just “has always been” special.  There is an excitement and a joy on Easter morning we do not always experience.

My wife and I saw “Beauty and the Beast” a couple of weeks ago.  As I sit here writing down my thoughts about Easter, I’m still singing songs from the movie.  I especially like the song, “Be Our Guests.”  It always makes me think about the guests we get every Sunday morning.  On Easter, every church in America will have guests come who may not normally come.  Are you excited about those who may come to our church on Sunday?  Here are few ideas of how you can get ready for your very special guests this Sunday.

Before Sunday: Invite

Before Easter morning, your task is simple: Invite people to our Easter worship celebration.  Lifeway Research (http://lifewayresearch.com/) asked a question: Do you plan to attend a worship service on Easter?  39% of the people respond, “No” and 41% responded, “Yes.”  While not surprising, it was a little discouraging.  However, 20% of those polled said they don’t know.  They haven’t decided. Consider that number.  1 in 5 people are keeping their options open.  That is great news.  Imagine if every member in our church would invite 5 people to church this Sunday.  The odds are in our favor that at least one of those five will attend.  Be bold! Invite people to church on Easter Sunday.  Many will be very open to the invitation. Take a moment to consider the following:

“Christians who automatically attend church on Easter should be mindful of their many friends, neighbors and family members who haven’t ruled out the idea of attending,” said Scott McConnell, director of LifeWay Research. “It may be that a personal invitation is what would make a difference to them.” (http://lifewayresearch.com/2013/03/26/survey-one-in-five-americans-undecided-about-easter-church-attendance/)

On Sunday: Be Intentional with our guests

Be excited about the guests who come. They are not a nuisance.  They are our guests and we want to make them feel at home.  Here are a couple of intentional ideas for you to try on Sunday:

  1. Arrive in the gathering area early. Grab a cup of coffee and talk to people. Mingle with people.  Don’t mingle with only people you know, but make a point of meeting new people.  Make sure they know where the coffee is, where the bathrooms are, where the nursery is and where our welcome center is located.  Make a point of going out of your way to make them feel welcome.
  2. Sit up closer to the front. I know what you are thinking. My regular seat is on the back row. Imagine if our “regular” attendees would be willing to move up closer to the front.  Too often we make our guests walk farther down the aisle and find a seat on the front row.  Let’s give them the seats in the back of our worship center.  It would be so much easier for them.
  3. Greet the guests first. Like every Sunday, there will be a greeting time. Make a point of going out of your way to talk with people you don’t know. Find ones who may be standing around awkwardly and make a point of saying hello.
  4. Take an active role in worship. Can I pass on a novel idea? Sing and sing loudly. Sing with joy in your heart.  Let our guest think we really believe this news about Easter.  We really believe Jesus is alive and has changed everything.  Smile! It’s ok for a guest to leave saying our music was good, the preaching wasn’t horrible, but those people sure love Jesus.  I think God can use that for His glory.
  5. One of our goals is to get follow-up information on our guests. Help us in the process. Make sure they know about our Welcome Center. Let them know one of the gifts they will receive for turning in their communication card is a free breakfast sandwich card from Chick-fil-A.

Are you realizing these are habits we should be doing every week, not just on Easter?
After Easter Sunday: Invest in our guests

Our greatest desire is to see our guests come back the next week.  Imagine what would happen if every member took the time to invest in our guests.  What could God do with a very simple invitation?  Consider meeting a guest on Sunday. Introduce yourself.  Invite them personally to attend church next Sunday and invite them to have lunch when they come back to church.  Contact the church office on Monday.  Take a name of one of our guest families and adopt them. Personally call them and invite them back.  Be intentional with our guest on Monday morning, too.

There will be a peak in our attendance this Sunday.  It goes without saying, you have already started praying for your pastor and worship leaders.  We can do all the physical things we can, but what we need more than anything is a pouring out of God’s Spirit upon the church.  Pray for God to do just that.  No, may I say, beg God to pour His Spirit upon your church this Sunday.  Only He can make dead bones live.