Sermon for May 15, 2011

“Reflecting Christ” (Psalm 23; Acts 2:42-47)
May 15, 2011 (Second Sunday After Easter)
Rev. John B. Erthein, Euchee Valley Presbyterian Church

Imagine a world where everyone acted like Jesus did while he was on earth. What a world that would be. There would be no wars, or people going hungry, or people lonely and alienated, or divorce, or broken families, or abused and neglected children, or the horror of abortion, or the abuse of our God-given sexuality. People would help one another, care for one another, and love one another. Oh, certainly, some people do that some of the time, but we all know, either from reading the newspaper or watching TV, or, more uncomfortably, from observing aspects of our own lives, that most of us do not do that consistently, if at all. That is why our world is as broken and fearful as it is. Most people are not, after all, professing Christians. There are approximately two billion professing Christians in our world, out of a population of seven billion. Christians are a distinct minority. That may be an explanation.

But then let us ask ourselves, what do Christian majority societies look like? What does the Christian church look like? Do the professed followers of Jesus Christ reflect him in their own lives and in the way they interact with others? Well, the Americas and Europe are predominately Christian (historically). There are a growing number of Christians in Africa and Asia. And yet we must sadly concede that in so many parts of the Christian world and church, conflict, bitterness, envy, greed, brokenness and immorality are very common. Look at the political debates we have in this country. Our current and most recent Presidents have had a very polarizing effect on our society. Whether named Reagan, Clinton, Bush or Obama, our Presidents have often been the object of hatred and contempt that approaches derangement in some people. And in return, those who oppose those Presidents have been mercilessly vilified. And this happens in a country where most people understand themselves to be followers of Jesus Christ. The Bible does say we are to honor and respect our magistrates. And quite aside from how we regard our Presidents, our society has extremes of wealth and poverty, of violence, of racial division, of immorality … the list of woe, of how we fall short of God’s will, is endless. Of course, it could be worse. Remember the decades of terrible violence that threatened to tear apart Northern Ireland, where Christians were killing Christians. We don’t have that problem here. But the church is often at war with itself spiritually and rhetorically, isn’t it? Denominations sometimes have acrimonious relations. Our own denomination has been in a bitter struggle over ordination standards, certainly not demonstrating mutual trust or unity. Sometimes congregations themselves are bitterly divided over matters great and small. How much do people who call themselves followers of Jesus Christ actually reflect Jesus Christ in their words and actions.

Well, now that we have heard how far short of imitating Christ, let us consider what the Bible says about how one does follow him. What does it look like when people reflect Jesus Christ? Consider the passage from Acts. The early followers were “devoted to the Apostles’ teachings,” which would have included Jesus’ teachings during his earthly ministry plus what he taught the apostles for the 40 days after his resurrection. And being “devoted” to the teachings means much more than merely hearing those teachings. The believers also devoted themselves to the “fellowship” with one another. Now the Greek word for “fellowship” is “koinonia,” which also means “participation” and “sharing,” including the sharing of material goods. Hold that thought, I will be returning to it in a few moments. They also shared in the “breaking of bread,” which likely included the communion meal as well as fellowship meals. They also devoted themselves to the prayers, which took place at the temple, but also at home. So these were not “Sunday Christians,” to use a current term. Their faith inspired their actions in “church” as well as at home. Their faith made a difference in their lives.

Amazing things were happening in the early church. People were in awe at the things happening in their midst, because of the many signs and wonders being done by the apostles. And “all were together and had all things in common.” Now that is a very important sentence, and it is vital to understand its correct meaning. Some people consider this scenario to be an example of “early Communism.” After all, that is what holding everything in common means, right? Well, not really. Whenever Communism has been attempted, it has been through government coercion. Someone with more power than you have shows up and says you have to give some of your possessions to someone else. What do you imagine happens with governments acts in this way? People who have to give up resources become resentful of those who have less. People who receive resources become envious of those who have more. Class resentment and envy are poisonous, and are not aspects of a true Christian life. Communism has not only proven materially a failure, for no Communist directed economy has ever delivered wealth or equality to the people, but it is spiritually corrupting.
Communism is thus very different from the practice of the early disciples for the reasons I just gave. In addition, the disciples still kept some personal possessions, as they still met in “their homes,” and many other Christians continued to own their homes afterward. Further, Peter told Ananias and Saphira that they did not have any obligation to sell their property and give away the money (Acts 5:4).

Nonetheless there was, as the text indicates, a great deal of sharing property and the proceeds of sales with the less fortunate. Sometimes that can occur even when a person maintains ownership of the property. Someone can lend his neighbor tools or equipment, for example, of donate it to some kind of cooperative arrangement. Or one simply sells some possessions and gives the proceeds to someone else. There are a number of ways in which one can share with others. Other places in Scripture affirm that Christians are encouraged to share what they can when they can. I want to read a somewhat lengthy quote to you, because it really makes this point very well. In his Second Letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote (In chapter 8, beginning at verse one):

1We want you to know, brothers,[a] about the grace of God that has been(A) given among the churches of Macedonia, 2for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and(B) their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3For they gave(C) according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4begging us earnestly(D) for the favor[b] of taking part in(E) the relief of the saints— 5and this, not as we expected, but they(F) gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6Accordingly,(G) we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you(H) this act of grace. 7But as(I) you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you[c]—(J) see that you excel in this act of grace also.
8(K) I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. 9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that(L) though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 10And in this matter(M) I give my judgment:(N) this benefits you, who(O) a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 12For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable(P) according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 13For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 14your abundance at the present time should supply(Q) their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15As it is written,(R) "Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack." (2 Cor 8:12-15. ESV. Emphasis added)

How wonderful it is that people can be motivated by conscience to share their possessions with others. That is a sign of a warmed heart. And we read about the results: this joyous, generous group of people attracted more believers. And that makes sense, doesn’t it? Who would come to a church with selfish people and asour atmosphere? There is something in the human heart that does respond to kindness and mutual giving.

But it can be hard to take the step of giving sacrificially. Why is that? I think fear has a lot to do with it. No matter how much a person has, there is always the possibility of losing everything. Many people seem well off, but they live paycheck to paycheck. If they lose their employment, which happens all the time in these difficult economic times, they could lose everything. The human heart also desires security, and it can be very scary to share with others and make yourself vulnerable to others if you think you could get hurt and lose everything as a result. Those fears were certainly present in the time Acts was written.

So how did these early Christians do it? How did they open themselves up? How did they share what they had? Remember, it was not from government coercion. Their hearts were full of the love of God and they wanted to share that with others. Amazingly, I would say that fear was not a major part of their lives! How could that be? They worried about many of the things we worry about today, and in fact had more to worry about. They lived under the sway of Rome. Sometimes followers of Christ were tolerated by the authorities, but other times there was ferocious persecution. It depended on whoever was Emperor. So these Christians had some good reasons for fear.

And yet … they didn’t fear. Why is that? Here I would like to look back at the other lectionary selection I read, Psalm 23. It is beautiful poetry, of course, recited often at funerals … and maybe that is the key! For what does the Psalmist proclaim? “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me … surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” This Psalm is traditionally credited to King David. David knew about uncertainty and suffering … but he did joyfully acknowledged God’s providential care for him, which existed in his life on earth and extended to the life to come (“forever.”).

And so I think we come to the crux of this whole matter. Having a close relationship with God (and since the time of the New Testament that means having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ) means we no longer have to fear death. Yes, we will go through the veil that separates this world from the next … but the next world will be a good one, where we are together with God for eternity. Imagine not fearing death. If the great mystery of our existence, if the greatest enemy we fear, is thus set aside by Jesus Christ, we are freed from fear in all parts of our lives. I think of the wonderful assurance of salvation I have because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for me. I trust in that. I strive to live into what that means. And I think part of what that means is to trust that God is truly sovereign over all events, even those who wish had not happened. Above all, hold onto the assurance of salvation.

Does everyone here have that assurance? Do you want that assurance? Can you honestly say to yourself and others that you are certain of your eternal destination? You can be sure today. Open your heart and feel Jesus entering your soul. Let go of any fear that may hold you back. Take this opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, for it may be the last opportunity you have.

If you feel prompted by the Spirit, please pray with me now:
Lord Jesus, I know I am missing you in my life. I still have fear of many things, especially of death. Release me from that fear. I do today confess my sins and lay them at the foot of your cross. I ask you to come into my heart and life as my Savior and I ask you to direct my life as my Lord. Guide me from this day forward … I give all of myself to you. Amen.