Acts: Early Church Characteristics

Good morning. I'm so glad you're here with us, so thank you for

being part of the thus of this morning. If you're here in person or

watching online or on TV, we're so glad you're here. If you have

your bible's turn away to me to Acts chapter five, and we're going to

start in verse twelve and just a moment. Time of my sermon this morning

is early Church characteristics. And as we've been working through the study of Acts,

we have noticed that in three different occasions now or now, this is

the third occasion, Luke, the writer of Acts, give summary statements.

And in the summary statements it describes the early church life. We looked at

early church devotion was the very first one we talked about. And then we

looked at early church life, what was life like in the in the midst

of the church and caring for one another. And today we're going to look

at the third summary that Luke gives about the church and Acts, and I

call it early church characteristics. And what you're going to see the day as

we walked through his passages, this is from the lens of outside outsiders.

This is from the lens of unbelievers. This is a lens of what people

how people have viewed the believers or lery church members from the outside perspective as

unbelievers in the community, how they saw the church family, how they saw

the church body, how they saw church members. And so I pray today

that you will this message will speak to you. Challenge you, as a

church member, as a believer today, how does unbelievers at your work,

at your school, in your neighborhood, in your family, how do they

view you? I think it's very important for us to ask that question.

You know, we used to always say growing up that you shouldn't worry about

what other people think of you. Right may have had that word of advice,

Well, I would disagree to a degree. And when it comes to

you being a believer, you should care how other unbelievers perceive you because you

are a witness. You're a witness of Jesus Christ. You're ambassador of Rice,

and so are you portraying Christ to the unbelieving world that's around you at

your workplace, at your school, wherever it may be. There's a study

that George Barna did in nineteen eighty nineteen eighty seven. It was an article

in Christianity Today, and this is what George Gallup found in that study.

He said then in nineteen eighty seven that there was little distinction of distinction in

nineteen eighty seven between a unchurched and a church, little difference in their lives,

little differences in the way they behaved. He said this. He said,

the Gallup Polls study compared the behavior of church with the behavior of unchurched

in very different categories. How believers and unbelievers? How likely were they to

be people who call in sick when they weren't are, people who would be

puffed up with who would puff up their resumes when they were not, actuality

accuracies in there, people who cheated on their taxes. In all these different

categories, George Gallup found that there was little difference in ethical views or behaviors

of the church than the old church. And he found in another survey that

the morals and behaviors of those who professed to be born against were slowly declining.

He said in these words in the interview, there's little difference in the

ethical behavior between the church and the young church. There's much as lying in

dishonesty among the church as the young church. And I'm afraid that applies pretty

much across the board religion per se. It's not really listen to these words,

it's not really life changing. People site religion or they're Christianity, or

they're going to church as something that is important, for instance, in overcoming

depression. But it doesn't primary I mean, it doesn't have primicy in determining

behavior. You know, that's sad to say that this was an articles written

in nineteen eighty seven, but I believe today where at a place that's much

worse than it is back then. We're seeing where many people in the church

are not seen as anything different in behavior in their life as those who are

not in church. Well, as we come to this passage in Acts,

there was a difference in the early Church believers, and it was a difference

that the unbelievers in the community saw that there was something different. So today

I want us to see how is this early church characterized. On the title

of sermonists, early Church characteristic of characterizations, and so I want to see

how they were characterized. So let's stand together, Let's read God's words just

a few verses this morning. Four verses, So want too bad, Let's

see how it goes. Acts Chapter five starting verse twelve. And now many

signs and wonder were regularly done by the people by the hands of the apostles,

and they were all together, and Solomon's pulled to cod. None of

the rest dared to join them, but the people held them at high esteem,

and more than ever, believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of

both men and women. So they were even carrying, so that they even

carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats,

that as Peter came by and came by, at least his shadow might fall

on some of them. And the people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem,

bringing the sick and those that flicted with unclean spirits, and they were

all healed. Let's pray together, Father, I thank you Lord for you

this morning. I thank you for the chance you give us to contemplate what

your word says, to think upon Lord your word. Today, Lord,

I prayed, we recognize today as a church body, that we are sinful

creature who are desperately need of you, Father, And because of our depravity,

Lord, we do not understand the things of God. Lord. We

need your spirit to open up our minds. And our hearts to you today.

So Lord, may you Lord speak, may you convict, may you

lead us to response today. So Lord, I pray that for us as

here's today, Lord, I pray you me, as you're a messenger,

that you might feel me, that you might use me. Lord, Lord,

I am a sinner. I pray you'd cleanse me, that I might

be a vessel that would be used by you to bring you honor and glory.

Or I pray today just for a movement by you. Lord, May

we set aside all distractions in our minds and our heart's to day and solely

Lord, focus on you now. Lord, we love you, We thank

you Lord, for to day. In your name, we pray, Amen,

he may be seated. So what you said the early characteristics of the

early Church, and the very first thing that you and I see in this

passage of scripture is that they as that they were characterized as a people of

God's power and wonders. People of God's power and wonders. Look at verse

as we come to the beginning of this section here verse twelve. Now,

now, many signs and wonders were regularly being done by the by the people

among the people, by the hands of the apostles, and they were all

gathered together in Solomon's Portico. It's interesting here their scripture describes to us as

we look at this passage, that many signs and wonders were regularly being done.

It gives us who were doing these signs and wonders. It tells us

the apostles were doing that. So we know that's the twelve Apostles who were

doing these signs and those wonders. It's the location of where they were doing

this as summons that he gives. He says, Solomon's Portico. That's actually

in the Jewish Synagod. Now, if you think about that just for a

moment, that's a lot of bravery among these apostles, because it was that

in the synagod was where they healed the laymen, you remember, And upon

what happened to healing the laymen, the Jews seized them right and told them

never to speak again in that name. Well, that didn't slow them down

or back them down, but I actually it encouraged them to continue to go

right back to the sin of God. Salma's Portugal was kind of a gathering

place. It's probably a local gathering place and say they went to where this

gathering place was, and they continue to do what they were forbidden to do

by the by the Jewish leaders there, and that was to continue to heal

and continue to preach the name of Jesus. And the Bible says that as

they were doing that, that they were characterized by people of God's power and

their wonders. If you recall to me, if you recall with me,

you could see in scripture God is moving in this passage. You look at

verse in this section of scripture, and in the early Church you see in

verse eleven of chapter five, in great fear came upon all the whole church

and all who heard those things. And you know there was a power of

God that was in spread among by the apostles. But that word and that

testimony of what God was doing in those upon usles are being spread among the

community. It spread about what happened to annonisis of viral. It spread as

you look back and and other passive scripture about the miracles and different things that

they were doing. God's word was being spread and and God was using signs

of wonders to spread that word. I think it's really important as you come

to this passive scripture. One of the questions that you and I will probably

have was we come to this passive scripture, will pasture In the Bible,

they talk about miracles, They talk about people being healed, people being healed

by demon possession, healing dem of possession, and as we see later in

the passage, people being healed from their sicknesses, and we see the apostles

doing that we saw in the New tech I mean we saw in the Gospels

Jesus doing that. Well, why don't we see those things today? I

think one thing is very important to understand is why why was their miracles?

Why did Jesus do miracles? Why did up hustles do miracles? Well,

I think it's very important to understand that signs and wonders were given by God.

Here and maybe write this down because you will need to know this in

the future room, because it's a big question that comes upon us today.

Signs and wonders were given by God to authenticate the message and the messenger.

Okay, think about that. Signs and wonder were given by God to authenticate

the message and the messenger. What was the message? The message was Jesus

is Lord, that was the message. That was the message when Jesus did

the miracles, right, who is this man? He's just from Galilee,

He's not really the son of God, but he declares he is the son

of God. Now, he did miracles to authenticate what he was from God,

and to authenticate not only that he was the messenger sent by God,

he was God's son, but also his message that what no one comes to

the Father by what me, that he was the way the truth in the

life, and no one comes to the Father but by him. See the

miracles and the signs of wonders Jesus did was to authenticate his message and him

as a messenger. But it also did that for the apostles. The apostles

was also given signs and wonders. And we're going to look at just a

minute, how only apostles were given this ability to do signs and wonders.

But why were they giving it? Because you imagine there was many debate after

Jesus died that he died and he never really rose again, and then there's

questions about who this Jesus was. And then Pentecost comes and the Holy Spirit

comes down upon them, and then they're able to what to preach, and

the apostles have power to do signs and wonders why to authenticate the message that

they declared was what a message from God? And that they had the power

and the authority of a true messenger. Because they had the power of the

signs and wonders, they did miracles what just as He did miracles. You

see that. I want you to see this in scripture. By the way,

this is very similar to another story in scripture, and who is it

Moses in Deuteronomy, actually Deuteronomy thirty four tenth through twelve. It tells us

about Moses doing signs of wonders, and it says these words, and there

was not Risen a prophet, since Israel liked Moses, whom the Lord knew

face to face, and none like him. For all the signs and the

wonders that listen, the Lord sent him to do again, signs and wonders

were given by God that the Lord sent him to do in the land of

Egypt, to Pharaoh, to all his servants, to all the land.

For all the mighty power and the great deeds of terror that Moses did,

and the sight of all Israel, God gave Moses the power to do the

signs of wonders. Why what do you remember when Moses says, when I

go to the people, how would they know that I'm from you? He

said, you tell him what the great I Am said? Right? It

was to authenticate that he was sent by God, and the message that he

had was from God. And there's very same way that God orchestrated and empowered

Moses to do signs and wonders, so did he empower Jesus. And so

did God empower his apostles. By the way we see this replicated and Acts

three sixteen through twenty one. You remember after that healed the lame man at

the gate of the temple. There the Jews were asking me. The Jews

were asking how did they do this? And what did they say? And

his name and by faith in his name has made this man strong and who

you see and know, and the faith that it is through him, Jesus

has given the man perfect this perfect health and the presence of you all.

I love that that. The apostles, they didn't say, oh yeah,

it was my power. It was me, I'm the one who did that.

No, it wasn't about them at all. It was always about why

the message, the message that Jesus is Lord, and the miracles is just

authenticate the truth of that message. And we see that also when the Jewish

leaders come in to say Hedre and come and question Peter about what happened.

He says, but if we are examined today concerning the good deed by the

criptle man, by what means this man has been healed? Let it be

known to you and to all the people visual that by the name of Jesus

Christ of Nasals and whom you crucified and God raised from them by him,

this man is standing before you. Miracles, signs and wonders were given by

God to authenticate the message and the messenger. The message was that they were

from God, and the messengers were from God. The message was Jesus is

Lord. I love that in the last verse, and there there is salvation

and no one else, for there's no other name under Heaven given among men

by which we must be saved. That was a message I wanted to ask

you today as you come to this passage scripture. And this early church was

known by church that were seen as doing signs and wonders, and I would

say to you today you know you say passing, Well, I don't have

this miraculous power. I don't have this way to heal or do these signs

and wonders. But can I tell you today that people look in your life

and they look to see God in you, just as they looked and saw

God and Peter and the other apostles. The community at large around you,

whether that's your neighborhood or whether your classmates or your co workers or your lost

family members, They're looking for the power of God in you. And I

ask you a very simple question today, did they see that in you?

It's a story of a great book by David I don't know if you've ever

read the book. It's called Radical. Encourage you. If you've never read

Radical, you really should. It's a great book. In the book,

David Platte tells a story of a Indonesian student seminary student. His name was

Raiden. Raiden was a part of was required as a graduate seminary student to

plant a church with at least thirty new members baptized believers, and he planted

it in the largest population of Muslims in the world. Did you know Indonisa's

one of the most It's one of the most Islamic or Muslims of places in

the world. And so now it's something you must know about raiding, and

Platte explains this. Raiden, before he became a Christian, was a fighter,

a jiu jitsu and ninja fighter. So one day he was sharing the

Gospel with this unreached village and the people who had never heard the gospel.

And while he was there sharing the gospel, a witch doctor came to his

house. The witch doctor called him out and wanted the fighting. Now.

He wanted to fight Raiden, who, as I said, was a trained

jiu jitsu ninja fighter. Raidin confessed to confessed the words of David, and

he or David confessed the words of Raiding. He says, I was to

walk out there and take the witch doctor down. I wanted to walk out

there and take the witch doctor down. But then I but when I turned

to go outside, the Lord told me that I no longer to do the

I did. I no longer need to do the fighting, but God would

do the fighting for me. So Raidin walked outside. He pulled up a

chair and sat down in front of the witch doctor and he told them I

do not do the fighting. My God does the fighting for me. As

he as the witch doctor began to speak, he began to grasp for aer.

Suddenly the witch doctor couldn't breathe, and not a few minutes later,

the witch doctor fell dead. The whole town at this point had gathered together.

Raign confessed that he didn't know what to do, so he what did

he do? He preached and many people came to know Christ that day.

I tell you the story about Raiding because of this Raidn. Listen to me.

Raidn had all the ability, probably to take out that witch doctor without

you, without depending upon God. But listen. In that moment in his

life, Raign determined, you know what, God, I don't want them

to see me. I want them to see you. And Raign depended upon

not on his strength, but on the power that was within him. Can

I say to you today, believers, God's power is at work in you?

And how are you walking in the power and strength of Jesus within you?

That the people around you may not see your power, but may see

a power that is within you, a power of the Holy Spirit that gives

you power to endure and overcome things that you're facing your life. So I

encourage you today, they say in this passage scripture they were understood, or

they were perceived as people of signs and wonders. You know, you may

never do a miracle, but I tell you the power of God is in

you. And there are people who are looking for something different than what they

see in the world. And may they see you about you and I that

we are people that possess the power of God. His power is working within

us once you see. Secondly, in this passage scripture they were characterize as

people of respect. Now I want to say real quick before I go.

As we come to this, look at verse thirteen. Now none of the

rest dared to join them, but the people held them at high esteem.

There's some great debate about what this means. I believe in my interpretation of

what does it mean by the none of the rests joined them? Who is

them in this passage and scripture? I believe them here is the apostles.

I believe what it's saying there. None of the rest. I think if

you look at verse twelve, the end of verse twelve, and they were

all together, they I believe as the church. So all the church gathered

in Solomon's Portico, and they're sharing the Gospel. They're trying to minister to

the unbelieving Jews, and the apostles are doing signs and wonders. But it's

clear that none of the rest. I think the church itself did not try

to do the healings and the signs and wonders. Why because that was a

gift that was only given to the apostles. You'll see later on as we

go in through the study of Acts, there is one who as a magician,

and he sees the signs and wonders that Peter and the apostles doing,

and he wrongly wants that power, and he's judged for that. I think

people understood that this was a gift that was given only to apostles, signs

and wonders, and so therefore that they did not Scripture says they didn't dare

to do what those apostles did. I think it's very important for us to

understand when we come to today, we have a lot of false teaching that's

out in our world today that signs and wonders are still happening today, or

they're able to do healings and miraculous things. It's very clear here that in

the New Testament that signs and wonders were done only by the apostles. And

we do not see that anytime after the Apostles and so and we even see

even the believers there understood that that was only a gift that was given for

the apostles. Would you see as the next part of this passage, it's

not only they were characterizing people of God's power and wonders, but they were

characterized the people of respect. Look at this verse thirteen. Now the rest

dared, none of the rest dared to join them, but the people held

them them there being the apostles, and I believe in high esteem, they

were characterized as people of respect. The word respect there is the word only

use eight times in the New Testament. It means to greatly magnify, or

to deem great, or to highly esteem, or to celebrate. It's the

idea of giving someone honor, declaring this is a this is a noble person,

this is a great person. It's the idea that the early church leaders,

the apostles, and I believe those in the church were seeing those people

that you respect. Did you look up to that you honor, that you

declare as great heard the story of a missionary and as she was leading a

missionary school, or actually they were I'm sorry, they were in a missionary

school language school, and they were going to be going to be missionaries in

China, they explained. The very first day of the school, the professor

came in and it was a lady, and she walked into the class and

didn't say a word. Came into class, walked around the class, and

left a class, didn't say a word. I kind of thought it was

strange. And a few minutes later, though, the teacher walked back in

and and she said this, did you notice anything special about me? Nobody

could really think of anything particular. And then suddenly one of the students said,

I noticed that you had a really you had a really nice perfume.

Could smell it. And she finally responded back to her and said, that's

exactly the point. You see, a long time before any of you will

be able to speak Chinese well enough to share the Gospel with anyone in China.

But even before you're able to do that, you can minister the Sweet

Fragrance or Christ to these people by the quality of your life. It is

your lifestyle lived out on Monday Chinese people that will minister Christ to them long

before you're able to say a word to them about personal faith in Jesus is

like that with us as usual. We may not be speakers or and we

may not have eloquent gifts, but we're able to minister to people by being

in our likeness to Christ and how we live our daily lives. I heard

this poem where I found this poem, and this is I thought it was

a great. Normally not a poem guy, but I thought this was really

good. Here's the poem. You are writing a gospel a chapter each day,

by the deeds that you do, by the words that you say.

Men read what you write where they're faithless and true. Say what is the

gospel according to you? Know that a pastor once says you, you know

what a gospel track is? If gospel track is its something that you leave

somebody to share the gospel with them. Some would say that your life and

the way you live your life is a gospel track. The only gospel tract

that some people will ever read. The early Church was a church that was

seeing of people of a leaders that did signs and wonders, people of God's

power. There are people characterized as people of respect, who walk in the

wall, can talk to talk, who are godly people. How are you

today, How are you having those same characteristics? Lastly today? As you

see, this was a church that was characterized as people of God's power and

wonder as people of respect, but at lastly as people who cared for the

hurting. Look at the passage of Scripture. It says in verse fourteen,

and more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both the

men and women, so that even they carried out the sick into the streets

and laid them on cots and mats. As Peter came by, at least

this shadow might fall on some of them. And the people also gathered from

the towns of Jerusalem and bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits,

and they were all healed. The Bible gives us a picture of God working

in great power, and the signs and wonderers tells us that that they were

doing mass healings at at this juncture. Again, why are signs and wonders

there? They authenticate the message and the messenger, right, the messengers here

were the apostle? Are these people, should we listen to these apostles.

I know a lot of people will come to know the Lord is Probably at

the time, there was a lot of conversation at the time and the Jews

about whether who were these truth Christians? Who was this church? Who were

these people sharing the God? Who are this Peter and the apostles? And

do we are there another false teacher or they're really real? You can imagine

from hundreds of years, hundreds thousands of years there's people who Jews had all

they ever believed was Judaism, and now there's a turning away from salvation by

the Law, but salvation and Jesus and says there's a lot of question of

whether these are truly sent by God. And God is using the power of

these apostles to authenticate that Jesus was from God, just as Moses was from

God, and so was his apostles the twelve. They were also sent by

God to authenticate the message that Jesus is Lord. So in that turn,

if you look at this passage scripture, what are the apostles doing, Why

do we see this in the early Church. It's to authenticate that they were

from God. And so they do very same things that Jesus did, very

similar healings and miracles that Jesus did, if you remember, and Mark,

I think the beauty of us walking through this passages. We just walked through

Mark just a little bit ago. But in Mark Jesus Jesus did healings.

You remember he healed a woman. You remember the power of healing was such

upon Jesus. You remember there was a lady who had an issue of blood

and what did she say, if I just touched the hem of his garment,

I'll be healed. Right. Well, now you see the same power

upon Peter that people that he has such healing power upon him that people were

laying the sick by Peter. Jews believed that your shadow was attached to a

being, and they believed that they just got within his shadow they would be

healed. So you see the same power that's within Jesus is also the same

power that is with him Peter. You also see in Mark chapter one,

we saw that after Jesus healed Peter's mother in law, that people found out

about that, and that night people from Capernium Galley were bringing all their sick

and laying them at the door the house and that night Jesus was going and

healing, and he was healing all a massive amount of people. But he

also was healing the sick and also what the demon possess. You see the

same imagery found in this passage scripture. Look at the imagery here. The

Bible says, now, so that they even carried out the sick into the

streets and laid them on cots and mats, and Peter came by at least

his shadow might fall on some of them. And people also gathered from the

towns of Druism, very same imagery found if you'll go read March thirty fourth

through thirty two, and it says there are people gathered from the towns of

Drus and bringing the sick, and those are inflicted with unclean spirits, and

they were all healed. In Matthew mean in Mark one thirty two, it

says that evening sundown they brought to him all their sick and those are pressed

by demons, and the whole city gathered together at the door, and he

Jesus healed many were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons. They

would not permit the demons to speak because they knew him see the same image

or what Jesus, what had God had done through Jesus. Now God was

doing through the Holy Spirit in the apostles. But yeah, I think the

beautiful thing that don't want you to see in this Passion scripture. Church is

probably ten thousand or plus at this time, and they still are what they're

still busy about caring for the hurting in the community. This was a church

that was characterized as caring for the hurting. Her day story of a of

a lady and she was she was a hairdresser, and she was thinking about

how can God you use my gifts to minister to the hurting. So she

decided to create a group and in her church a professional hairdressers and people who

does nails. And once a month at their church, and it's Willa Creek

Community Church in Chicago, offered a monthly day of beauty session where they allow

people from nursing homes or people from the poor, the homeless, shelters,

from facilities of mental mentally ill they would come to this place and in that

place they would give them haircuts, they would give them to clean them up,

and and she did that just to care for the hurting around her.

She said that she asked God, why did you give me these talents about

with that? Her words, Well, why did you give me a talent

that has so much about vanity? How can I serve you? And she

said God answered those prayers by creating this group and doing this ministry. And

they offer, like I said, haircuts for the poor. She said,

we focus on evangelism to the beauty industry, which is filled with so much

darkness and underlying message about external things, glamoring, grits, glitz. I

want to bring the light of the God's word into the industry, she said.

She in two thousand and six she was doing this and there was some

teen girls that were going through drug and alcohol rehab and they told her that

they had never had so much fun being sober, she said. One girl

came up to her said I had no self esteem that day. Gave me

a boost on the outside, but to help me on the inside too.

I felt beautiful, special and deserving. You know, hear you. I

tell you the story of a woman who God gave a gift and she wanted

to use her gift to care for the hurting around her, the neglected.

You know, old saying used to say, people don't care how much you

know until what until they know how much you care. I want you to

think about today as we think about Bethesda, we have Bethaesta could be known

for. May want to be known for several things, maybe our music,

maybe our buildings, maybe our ministries, maybe the pastor and his messages.

And we can want to be known for certain things we could be wanting to

be known for. Our programs are great fall festivals, are great Easter egg

hunts, or are great different things that we have done. Event Wise,

the early Church wasn't known for their events, wasn't known for how great their

pastor was, or how great their music was, or how great their sanctuary

was. The early Church was known because they cared, and they cared for

those outside the doors, and they met them right where they were. Can

I tell you and I Bethesda, if we want to make an impact on

Durham, on North Carolina, on the world, it'll start Saint It when

we say we care for those in our community. We care for the hurting,

the broken, and the neglected, and we want to meet them right

where they are. That's why prayer walking is so important and other things that

we're doing in our community. I think that's why this year I'm so excited

to tell you this year we're doing our Fall Festival in conjunction with the Academy,

and this is a chance. This year at Fall Festival, you get

to meet some of our families who are in our school that are hurting and

they need a church family to love on them and meet them right where they

are. So this is a good chance for us to minister to those in

our community, right within the community of our school, that we as a

church man, we be known as people that God's power dwells within us.

Man, we be known as people that are different, that are different than

the world, and people who are respected because we walk the wall. Can

we talk the talk? And may we be people that are known that we

care. You know, I heard a story and we'll close this. It

was there was this dangerous sea coast and it was notorious for shipwrecks, and

so there was this little crew life boat saving station and life saving station and

it was just a mere hut with one boat, but it was a few

devoted members and the members actually constantly what they did was just look over the

sea, watched over the sea, and if there was someone in danger,

if there was a boat in danger, they would take out their one little

boat and they'd do whatever they could to save the lives of those who were

in danger by the sea. You know, as time went by, that

place, that little hut had become very famous because it saved so many lives.

Those had been saved saved along was others wanted to be involved in it.

So they so they decided to give some of their time. They started

giving some of their energy to try to give some of their their money.

Decided to buy new boats, and they bought they trained new cruise and the

station that once with this one little, small, little crude hut actually became

a very big thing, the big organization. Some of the members were so

kind of unhappy that hut was so unattractive and poorly equipped. They decided they

needed a bigger space, and so therefore they removed the old hut and they

put a new building there and it had new nice furniture, handmade equipment.

It became very classy and very nice, and they made additional rooms and s

systems that were put in place. And then after the completion of this new

life savings stationed. The station kind of change. It got to where it

wasn't as much about saving others as it kind of became like a clubhouse.

The attractive building, the nice facilities. People they started having events and it

became more of a social thing. A few members anymore were really interested about

saving others. They really were about having their events at the at the lighthouse,

they almost all together forgotten the how the Life Saving station was even started.

But you know, if you would go to the clubhouse, they would

still have things written on the walls about saving other people's lives and memories and

and and different things about what happened in the past. One time, there

was really a large ship that was off the ocean the coast, and there

was a there was a wreckage, and the crews went out and they rescued

about half drowned people, and they brought them into the station. But they

were sick, and they were dirty, and and they looked a little different,

and and some people the club kind of got a little upset about this.

I mean, we we brought these shipwrecked soldiers in or people into the

and then they were messy, and they stunk, and they smell bad,

and they just I just don't. So they called a special meeting and they

said, we got to really address this issue. And some people were very

upset, I mean, what are we doing we have these unpleasant people,

And they said, you know, we really should probably just build another building

was just bath house, and we'll get those people cleaned up and after they

come in from and you know, they're sick and they've come in and they're

dirty and so, and they can go get a shower and once they get

a shower and then they can kind of come into the clubhouse actually went through,

and there were some some some anger and some upset feelings about this.

But in the end, they they've they've they've voted down to be involved anymore.

There was a vote to go back to where they used to be and

be that life staving agency and that was voted down, and they wanted to

be more involved in the social events instead of saving lives anymore. So what

happened, well, they split and they started another life stage station who was

more committed to saving lives again. But guess what, after a few years

that station went to Zach same through thing that the first station went through,

that got more concerned about their social events than they were about saving lives.

And now if you go to that coast, you'll see littered throughout that shoreline

a lot of clubhouses that are not concerned about saving lives. I tell you

all that because there's still shipwrecks every day, but there's a lot of clubhouses

that have no concern about saving their lives. Can I tell you that today

that the danger that's found in those life saving stations can be a danger that

the church can fall under, that we get so concerned about caring for one

another, so concerned about our image, so concerned about taking care of one

another, that we lose sight of the lives that are dying outside our doors.

We as a church are called as a body of Christ, to be

people who our world sees. It's different. Our world sees that the power

of God is in us, that there's something missing in their life. That

the world outside of us sees that we are people who are people who respect,

people who walk the walk and talk at the talk. But lastly,

the people outside the doors of this church should not see us just as a

clubhouse or a social club. They should see us as people who are in

the business of saving lives. You pray with me. Lord, I love

you. I thank you Lord for this morning. Thank you Lord for your

word. Or as we come to this time of invitation, or I pray

that we would consider each one of us our role as church members and as

unbelievers, Lord, of displaying your power within us to those around us,

as being the people that's different. Think that, Lord, that people we

were respected because we want the walk and we talked to talk. But God,

I pray we would be people that seem that care about those in our

community, care for the hurting, care for the dying, caring for the

lost around us. So Lord, lead us in these truths today, lead

us in response. I pray that somebody is somebod need to come this altar

and pray. I pray they would do that. Lord, If I could

pray for some I pray Lord you'd leave me to do. You would lead

them to come and allow me to pray for them as well, or however

you lead us to day. Lord, mayword just respond to you. I

pray today, is there's someone here that doesn't know yours Lord and Savior,

Lord, I pray to day they would find faith in you, Lord Jesus,

and you'd lead them to talk to me or one of the elders or

someone today about how they can put their faith in you for salvation, or

however you lead us today. May we respond down your name, we pray

it and all to Him.