SERMON: WHAT WE HAVE

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

-- turn in Bibles to Acts 3:1-10

 

Acts 3:1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

 

6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

 

-- several years ago, a local businessman built a tavern in a county that was traditionally a dry county – one of the few places in the area where you could not buy alcohol or drink – the tavern was completed, but not opened yet – so, a group of Christians from a local church decided they needed divine assistance in keeping the evils of alcohol from their town – they gathered one evening for a prayer service, to join together and ask God to intervene and keep the tavern from opening

-- the very next morning, the town woke up to the sounds of a severe thunderstorm – lightning and thunder cracked through the sky – the rain fell so heavy that you couldn’t see out the windows – and in the midst of the fury of the storm, lightning struck the tavern and it burned to the ground -- well, the owner of the bar sued the church, claiming that the prayers of the members were responsible

-- the church hired a lawyer and when they went before the judge, the church argued in court that they were not responsible for the destruction of the tavern -- "we're only a small church -- what could we have done to cause this to happen?"

-- the presiding judge was a man who was very wise -- after his initial review of the case, he stated, "no matter how this case comes out, one thing is obvious -- the tavern owner believes in prayer and the Christians do not"

 

            -- this morning, I want us to consider the words of this judge and answer these questions -- what do we believe about our church? – what do we believe about our God? -- do we believe that God can use Naylor Community Christian Church to do the impossible? – to do great things for Him?

            -- or are we just like the Christians in that small church in this story – do we think that there’s nothing we can really do to influence our community for God? – do we think that because we’re small, we’re insignificant? – do we think that because we’re small, we have nothing to offer?

 

II.  It’s Okay to Be Little Bitty

            -- I have to confess – sometimes it’s easy for me to think like that – people ask me all the time where I’m preaching and about this church – and when I tell them that we’re doing good, but that we only have eight people right now – I see the look on their face – I hear the unspoken words – are you really a church? – if you only have eight people, what can you do?

            -- and it can get discouraging – especially when I look around and see pastor friends with churches that have several hundred in attendance – when I hear their stories and read about all the programs and ministries going on at their church – and I look at what we’re doing and the handful of people we have, and I have to ask, “Can we really do anything for God in this small church and in this small community?

            -- if only we were larger, then we could do something great -- if we only had a few more people, we could do more ministry and more programs -- if we only had more money, God could do more through us -- if we only had more people praying, God would listen and act more

-- sometimes I think that – and maybe you do, too – but before we just throw in the towel and call ourselves a failure as an effective church, I think we need to consider what Scripture tells us about people and about churches

 

-- in 1 Corinthians 12:14-20, we are reminded that the body of Christ is comprised of many different parts – each member – each part – has a different gift and talent and responsibility in the body of Christ

-- but a lot of the time, we look at who we are and how small we are and how insignificant we seem, and we think that we don’t matter – that we are useless – and that God would be better served if we were larger or had more visible and dynamic gifts – but look what God tells us here

-- listen as I read this to you -- 1 Corinthians 12:14-20

 

1 Corinthians 12:14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

 

15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

 

-- this passage is normally applied in church settings – we use it to remind members that they are all part of our body – that they are all part of our church

-- but when we limit our focus on these verses to just the people in a single congregation, I think we miss a vital truth – for what Paul tells us here is not only true for individuals, but for entire churches

-- God doesn’t want every church to be exactly the same – He doesn’t want every church to be a copy of the church next door – for if that is what we are, then the body of Christ is not whole or complete – we’re missing parts of the body

– that’s what we read in this passage when it says in verse 17, “if the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?”

-- in other words, we need diversity in the church of Christ – both within individual communities and within the extended churches across the world – God doesn’t want every church to be an eye – He doesn’t want every church to be an ear – He doesn’t want every church to be large or every church to be small

-- He wants us to be who He has called us to be, because through us and through the diversity of His body, we can fulfill His calling and His purposes in different ways

 

-- so, contrary to what the world might think – contrary to what all those people who look down on us for only having a handful of members might think – Naylor Community Christian Church is a valuable part of the body of Christ – and God has called us to this place to be His hands and feet here in ways that other churches might not be able to do

-- and that’s what I want us to talk about this morning – I want us to recognize who we are in Christ – and who this church is in Christ – so that we won’t be envious or covetous of other congregations because of their size or wealth or power

-- I want us to understand that there’s nothing wrong with being small, if that’s what God has called us to in this season – it’s like Alan Jackson sang, “Well, it's alright to be little bitty -- A little hometown or a big old city -- Might as well share, might as well smile -- Life goes on for a little bitty while”

 

-- just consider the story of Chick Fil A and its founder, Truett Cathy

-- when Truett Cathy decided to open a restaurant in Atlanta, he began with a restaurant so small, it was called the Dwarf Grill -- later, he called it the "Dwarf House" -- it only had 10 stools and four tables

-- and, when he opened it, he didn't offer a full menu like all the other big restaurants -- he didn't even offer hamburgers, which was highly unusual – everybody had hamburgers, but not the Dwarf House

-- all it had on its menu was chicken sandwiches and French fries – and that was way out of the ordinary – and then Cathy did something else that everyone thought was really strange -- he refused to open on Sundays -- even though other restaurants receive over 20% of their income on that day alone, Cathy wanted to make a stand for God – he kept his restaurant closed, even though it would certainly hurt his income

            -- for almost 20 years, the only restaurant Truett Cathy operated was that one, little restaurant – the Dwarf House -- it was the only restaurant he had -- but this restaurant met a need in the community – it offered what other restaurants didn’t

-- the larger fast food chains didn’t have chicken sandwiches at that time -- neither did the sit-down restaurants -- and people flocked to the Dwarf House – six days a week, it was crowded and busting out the seams – and Cathy’s business grew and grew

-- finally, in 1967, Cathy felt like it was time – that God was calling him to do more – to expand – and he opened the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta's Greenbriar Mall

-- but, in doing so, he remained true to his original principles and practices – he didn't change the way he did business -- he didn't try to do everything the big chains and the big restaurants did -- he still just sold chicken sandwiches and fries -- and he didn't try to make his restaurants bigger than his neighbors -- he just did what he felt God had called him to do

-- and, by doing what God called him to do, God blessed him -- currently, there are over 3,200 Chick-fil-A restaurants in the U.S., with other locations in Canada and Puerto Rico

-- Truett Cathy has passed away, but I read an interview with him one time where it was noted that if Chick-Fil-A was to make a public stock offering and open the company up to more investors, that their sales and influence would skyrocket – Cathy told the interviewer he had no plans to do that – he said, "We're able to do a lot of things that we couldn't do if we were a large public company" – at that time, Truett Cathy made the decision to keep Chick-Fil-A small because he felt they were doing what God wanted them to do

 

-- the message here is that we don’t have to be large or wealthy or powerful to do great things for God – we only have to be faithful to what He has called us to – to do what He wants us to do in this community and in this place at this time

-- and that’s what I want us to consider this morning

 

III.  Scripture Lesson (Acts 3:1-10)

            -- so let’s dive into this passage here in Acts 3:1-10 – I mentioned it in passing last week in our message on the gifts of Christmas – but this morning, I want us to look at this in depth – to see what we can learn about being who God called us to be in this time and this place

 

-- look back at verse 1

 

Acts 3:1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon.

 

-- so, as this account begins, we see Peter and John going to the Temple to pray -- now I want you to stop there and think about what this verse is telling us

-- like we’ve discussed, most people think that a “real” church has to have a lot of people – certainly, a lot more than eight – and that a “real” church needs a beautiful modern building – with facilities for classes and activities and plenty of parking – they’ll also say that a “real” church needs professional ministers and worship leaders and Sunday school teachers -- but is this true? -- is this biblical?

            -- let's unpack this verse a little bit and answer the question, "what does it take to be a church?"

 

            -- first, how many people do you need to be a real church? – number of people – that’s the question everyone asks when you tell them where you’re going to church, right?

-- so, how many people do you need to be a real church? -- if you read the texts and the theories about church administration and function, you'll see the number 200 thrown out a lot – the experts say that to be a real and effective church, you have at least 200 people -- if you have less than that -- say between 50 and 200 – then they call you a small church – you’re doing okay, but you’re not quite there yet -- if you have less than 50, most experts would say you’re not really a church at this point – so, the expert answer is that to be a real church, you need at least 200 people

            -- but what does the Bible say? -- how many people do you need to be the church? -- to do great things for Christ? -- Jesus gave us the answer in Matthew 18:20  -- He said, "Where two or three gather in My Name, there I am with them." -- wherever Christ is, His church is there with Him -- and I contend that Peter and John were the church that day as they went up to the temple to pray

            -- and I will take the stand that when you gather with a friend at Chick-Fil-A or a coffee house or a restaurant to pray and fellowship and maybe study the Bible, you are a church at that moment

            -- it doesn’t take 200 people to be the church – it only takes two people who believe in Christ and who come together in His name to be His church on earth

 

            -- what about buildings? -- I hear that a lot -- where's your church at?

-- sometimes I try to be a little flippant and I'll say, "Well, Laura and Jeff live down Savannah Road – and Albert lives in Hahira – and Judie lives off of Grover Hicks”

-- and when I say that, they just look at me like I’ve lost my mind, because what they really mean when they say the word “church” is building – when they ask where our church is, they want to know where the physical structure that we meet in is located and how big it is and how modern it is and all of that

-- if you’ll notice, in all my communications, I try to emphasize the point that this building is not the church but that we are the church – when I post on Facebook or other places, I am careful to say that Naylor Community Christian Church meets in this building – but we are not this building, because a building is not a church

            -- would it surprise you to know that no where in the Bible are we told to go and build a structure to "have church" in? -- would it surprise you to know that there were no church buildings for the first 300 or 400 years of Christianity? -- would it surprise you to know that the practice of most of modern Christianity today -- outside of the Western world -- is to not build a church building?

            -- when the Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost and the church of Christ was birthed, the first thoughts of the disciples were not, "Let's build a building" -- instead, they knew that they were the church, no matter where they were located and no matter where they met

-- so, the early church primarily met in each other's homes – that’s why Paul wrote in Romans 16:5, “Greet the church that meets at their house,” referring to the home of Priscilla and Aquila

-- sometimes, Christians wouldn’t even meet in a building, but would gather at the river or in other places to join together in worship – this is certainly true with the persecuted church today, because in places like China and Iran and North Korea, Christian churches and church buildings are not allowed

            -- so, contrary to popular opinion, you don't have to have a building to be a church -- in fact, a lot of resources in the church today are tied up in church buildings, and if these resources -- time and money and labor -- were freed up for ministry instead of building maintenance, you have to wonder what God would do through His church today

 

            -- and, finally, what about the idea that a “real” church needs professional and trained clergy and worship leaders and teachers – while I think it’s good for everyone to learn as much about God as possible, it is certainly not a requirement to go to seminary or Bible College to serve the Lord

            -- the Bible tells us the Spirit will lead us into all knowledge of Christ -- He gives us what we need to know to share His message with others -- I believe education is important, but not necessary, to do great things for Him – education doesn’t define who is a Christian and who is not – and it doesn’t define who makes up the church and who does not

            -- God certainly used Peter and John to spread His message and grow His church, but they were not accepted by the religious institution of their day because they had not trained officially under a Rabbi or been in an accredited rabbinical school

            -- the early church grew and spread under the leadership of men and women just like you and just like me -- people who only knew one thing, and that was Jesus – people who hadn’t been to seminary or to Bible school but who served God and changed the world through their ministry – never let somebody tell you that you can’t serve God because you don’t have a degree or look down on you for that reason

 

-- I bring all this up to make a point – like we talked about, there is this idea out there in the world of what a “real” church is and what a “real” church leader is – and if we let the world define us by those values, then we can fall into the mindset of that little church in the story I opened with – “We’re just a small church – what can we do for God?”

-- and we start to think about it and dwell on it and start telling ourselves, “if we were only larger, then we could do more -- if we had a better building and more parking and better facilities, more people would come -- and if we had more people, we would have more money -- if we had more money, we could have more programs and God could do more through us and we could do more ministry for Him"

-- let me tell you this – thinking like that is wrong – we should never be envious of other churches – of their size or their money or the number of programs they have – we should thank God that He called them to that – but like I said, we can’t all be an ear – we can’t all be an eye – and so we need to seek to fulfill what God is calling us to do here with the people we have and the resources He has given

-- the bottom-line is we don't need a lot of people -- we don't need a fancy new building – - we don’t need to enroll in seminary or Bible college – all we need to do in order to fulfill God’s calling is to continue to seek to serve Him in this place -- to gather together in His name and look for His presence and trust in Him -- that's what Peter and John were doing when they headed for the temple that day -- they expected God to work through them that day in some way, even though they were small in number

 

-- let's move on -- vs. 2

 

Acts 3:2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.

 

-- here we read about a crippled man who was "put" by the gate of the temple -- there was a big difference between Peter and John and this man - Peter and John went to the temple that day seeking God -- they went expecting to see God and to meet with Him and to watch Him work through them

-- but the crippled man didn't come to the temple seeking God -- he didn't expect God to do anything for him -- he went looking simply for what the world had to offer

-- we have a lot of people who come to worship services with that same mindset -- they don't come looking for God -- they come looking for what they can get – whether that’s money or clothes or whatever -- they don't come expecting God to work in their lives

-- that is exactly what we do when we try to compare ourselves with larger churches -- we are, in effect, saying that the reason God is working through them is because they are large and the reason why God is not working through us is because we are small

-- this shows a lack of faith in the power of God -- the same God who is working in the life of the large church is the same God who built a kingdom through just 12 disciples -- in 1 Cor 1:27, Paul tells us that God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise -- He chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong

-- God loves to use small churches because it shows that it was Him who did it and not the church

 

-- verse 4

 

Acts 3:4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

 

6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.

 

-- now, don't miss what is going on in this passage -- this crippled man had come to the temple at the same time as Peter and John -- to this large place of worship -- to this large church

-- we don't know how many times this man came to this site -- we don't know how many times he sat by this gate, begging for money while what he really needed was a miracle -- we don't know how many members of this church walked past him every day without seeing him or responding to his needs

-- but one thing is sure -- despite all its money -- despite all its members -- despite all its programs and ministries -- this large church couldn't meet the true needs of this crippled man

-- instead of using the priests and the Levites and congregation there to heal this man, God chose to work through a church that only had two men that day -- Peter and John – and through that small church, God reached out and met that man at the point of his real need

 

-- I want you to understand that the crippled man didn't know what he really needed -- he didn't know what was possible – he was limited in imagining what God could do for him because he had little or no faith

-- maybe when he was first brought to the temple and put by the gate, he had hoped that God might heal him – but at this point, he had given up on his dream of being healed -- all he knew was what he wanted -- he wanted money -- but God wanted to give him much more than that -- God wanted to give him what he really needed -- physical and spiritual healing

-- and I want you to see where this healing took place – despite being put in the shadow of the large church on that location, it was only the small church made up of Peter and John who could meet him where he was that day – who could mediate God’s healing in his life

 

-- look again at Peter's words in verse 6

 

Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

 

-- listen to what he's saying -- "silver and gold I do not have” – listen to what that means for us -- we don't have a lot of money -- we don't have lots of members -- we don't have lots of programs and lots of ministries -- we don't even a fancy and modern church building – “silver and gold we do not have, but what we have, we give you"

-- what does Naylor Community Christian Church have to give? -- what person -- what group of people -- has God called us to reach out and touch for Him because no one else and no other church can or will? -- what do we have to give – with our handful of members and small bank account and hurricane-wrecked building? -- what do we have to offer the world around us today?

 

-- well, the first thing that we have to give is Jesus -- just like Peter and John, we have the living Son of God in our midst and in our hearts -- and I don't care how little we are or how little money we have, we can give Jesus away free of charge to everyone we come into contact with

-- and, when you think about it – if all you have is Jesus to offer to someone else, you are offering them the greatest gift in the world

-- but, you know, we have other things that we can offer here that larger churches simply can’t

 

-- one thing we can offer to hurting people and to each other is a sense of community that big congregations lack – because we are small, we have a stronger sense of family -- we know each other -- we couldn't get lost in a crowd even if we wanted to -- and this makes us closer

-- when someone in a small church is hurting, the entire church hurts -- when something goes good for someone in a small church, everyone rejoices -- this is a major advantage that we have over the larger churches – we know each other and we can do life together with each other in a way that the larger churches simply can’t

 

-- I have a friend that has a discipleship ministry – one time, he was asked to go to Macon to speak to a group of pastors about his ministry and about implementing it in their churches – they gathered at this large church building in town – and it was a good meeting – everyone left inspired and encouraged by what my friend had to say

-- as he was getting ready to go, the senior pastor for the church where they were meeting asked him if he’d like to see the sanctuary – my friend said, “Absolutely”, and he followed the pastor into this large sanctuary – it had row after row of pews – it had balcony seating – it had a massive choir loft and place for the worship team on stage next to the pulpit

-- my friend said he looked around at the whole building and then he started to ask a question – he said, “How many…” and before he could get his question finished, he said he saw the pastor visibly puff up with pride – the pastor just knew what my friend was going to ask – same thing we always ask, right? – the pastor was ready with the answer to the question, “How many people go to church here? – How many people can you accommodate during a Sunday service?”

-- but instead, my friend asked, “How many of the people who come here do you even know?” – and the pastor deflated, because for all the people – for all the money – for all the power – the pastor and the congregation really didn’t know each other – they were not a family – they were a crowd

-- that’s something that we have that a large church just doesn’t – that’s why some large churches set up home groups – which are really nothing more than small churches that meet together outside the larger congregation

-- this is an advantage that we have and that we need to remember as we reach out to others in this community

 

-- another advantage we have in being so small is that we have more opportunities for service and individual spiritual growth -- everyone in a small church is needed -- we can't just come and leave on Sunday when the service ends like people do at larger churches

-- if you're a member here, you’re going to get put to work in some type of service or ministry – and that's the way it should be – that’s how you grow – that’s how you step into the ministry that God is calling you to – that’s how you become who He wants you to be – by doing things for Him – by serving others in His name

-- we're not just here to be entertained on a Sunday morning -- we're here to bring the good news of God to others -- and God uses our small size to challenge us and to stretch us and to help us grow into the people He's called us to be

 

-- and along those lines, we also have the ability to go deeper and to grow more mature in our walk with Christ through sermons and Bible studies – I’ve been to a lot of services at large churches – and yes, their music is great – the worship is inspiring – the teaching is sound – but a lot of the time, the teaching is shallow – there’s not a lot of depth there

-- and this isn’t the fault of the pastor – it’s a consequence of the size and make-up of the congregation – for in a larger church, a lot of the people are new Christians – baby Christians – and they need more extensive teaching in the basics of Christianity and their faith

-- there’s nothing wrong with that, but it tends to leave the mature Christians seeking more – seeking greater depth and greater knowledge and greater understanding of their faith – and that’s something that a lot of larger churches can’t provide because they are having to minister to the new Christians in their midst

-- in a small church, you have the ability to go deeper in the Scriptures and to teach more mature faith issues once the congregation has the basics – and that’s a very good thing and a very big advantage that we have that larger churches don’t enjoy

 

            -- verse 9

 

Acts 3:9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

 

            -- so, what happens when a tiny, little church comes together, believing God is going to use them and trusting God to do great things through them? -- you see it here

            -- people get healed -- lives get changed -- and everyone is amazed at the power of God in their midst

 

IV.  Closing

            -- here’s the take home message for today – it’s okay to be little bitty because God uses small people and small congregations to do great and mighty things

            -- we may not have overflowing pews – and we may not have lots of money in our bank account – and we may not be in the most influential town in south Georgia – but what we do have is God’s presence and blessing in our lives

-- we need to recognize the blessings and the advantages that we have right here and right now – and we need to lean into those advantages and seek to serve God where He is calling us – not trying to do what other churches might be doing – not trying to be what other churches are – but serving and ministering in ways they can’t so that we can reach people that they can’t

 -- the important thing for us to remember is that even though we may not be large, we still have something to offer

-- silver or gold I do not have -- but what I have I give you -- I give you Jesus

-- God’s call is for us to go and do likewise this week – and to offer Jesus to everyone we meet

-- let us pray