HOW HEALTHY IS YOUR CHURCH - PART 1

 

Luke 11:1-12:59

The Book of Acts is the most frequently used Scripture for church growth. It records the explosive beginnings of the church in Jerusalem at Pentecost (Acts 1-2), its continuing growth through the witness of Peter and John (Acts 3-5), the enduring impact of Stephen's martyrdom (Acts 6-7), the scattering of the church of Jerusalem under Paul's persecution and Philip's consequent impact in Samaria (Acts 8), and the subsequent spread of the church through Paul and Barnabas (Acts 9-28).

Luke was the author of both Acts and the Gospel of Luke. The two books actually are one account, stretching from the birth of John the Baptist in Luke 1 to the death of Paul in Acts 28. The Gospel of Luke is less frequently used as a reference for church growth. In Luke, however, the foundational ideas are laid that support the growth found in Acts.

The Gospel of Luke is prescriptive, whereas the Book of Acts is descriptive. The Gospel of Luke focuses on why things happened in the church while the Book of Acts focuses on what things happened in the church. The Gospel of Luke turns our attention to principles, while Acts turns our attention to practices.

Much literature has been developed on the phenomenon of church growth. Its focus has been to develop positive prescriptions by describing the practices or actions necessary for managing church growth. Its thrust has been on what the church must do to be successful. Our focus will be on church health, on determining what the church must be to be successful.

CHURCH GROWTH VS CHURCH HEALTH:

Church growth and church health are related concerns but deal with different agendas. Church growth requires a sensitivity to the organizational dynamics of planning, communicating, motivating, controlling. Church health requires a sensitivity to the spiritual dynamics of service, holiness, outreach, and worship.

The Gospel of Luke provides a number of insights into the spiritual principles of church health. Beginning in Luke 11, Jesus turned his attention to the church of his day—the synagogue—and leveled a variety of charges against that church. So strong was his condemnation that one of the synagogue leaders remarked to Jesus, "Teacher, when you say this, you insult us too," (11:45).

Jesus' charges all pointed to a sick, unhealthy church. The church was accused of being internally corrupt (11:39), being oblivious to its own faults (11:40), wasting energy on trivia (11:42), getting caught up in ego massaging (11:43), being spiritually dead (11:44), being rule-bound with excessive bureaucratic baggage (11:45), being hypocritical (11:47-51), and stifling personal growth (11:52).

THE HEALTHY CHURCH IS CHARACTERIZED MORE BY THE QUALITY OF ITS SPIRIT THAN THE QUANTITY OF ITS SUCCESS: (Luke 11:24-26, 12:4-5)

Here Jesus focused attention on the spiritual battle of the church. Jesus warned of the threat the church faces from the malevolent spirits of Satan. Earlier, in Luke 4:1-13, Jesus was tested by Satan in the wilderness. Satan made three appeals: turning stones to bread, ruling over the world, and protecting himself in leaping off the Temple. These appeals speak to the spirit versus the success dilemma facing the church:

A. One tendency in seeking success is to reduce everything to "bread", to the measurable, the immediate, and the short-term. The temptation is to get caught up in the temporal realities of budgets, attendance, and buildings and to forget the more fundamental, spiritual battles that threaten the church.

B. Another tendency in seeking success is to focus on means rather than ends. The temptation is to get caught up in methods and programs of church growth and to forget the more fundamental spiritual issues of why we want to grow, what we are growing toward, and from whom the growth comes.

C. A third tendency in seeking success is to attempt the dramatic and showy. The temptation is to get caught up in marketing and publicizing the church and to forget the more fundamental call of God to ordinary service and quiet holiness.

THE HEALTHY CHURCH IS CHARACTERIZED MORE BY WHAT IT WAITS FOR THAN BY WHAT IT WORKS FOR: (Luke 10:38-42, 11:5-10, 12:35-38)

We live in an era that prizes activity and motion. The assumption is that a healthy church is busy. Yet Jesus' call is to a quiet anticipation, a reaction to God's will rather than an anticipation of it. In Luke 10:38-42, Jesus commented on the busyness of Martha versus the waiting and listening of Mary.

In Luke 11:5-10, we read of Jesus' command to ask (and keep on asking), to seek (and keep on seeking), and to knock (and keep on knocking). It is instructive to note that Jesus began with the word "ask" (the Greek word used is aiteo, suggesting the attitude of a humble supplicant) and closed with the phrase "the door shall be opened". The implication is that we are first the requestors and recipients of God's action and only secondarily initiators of our own action.

In Matt. 25:1-13, Jesus told the parable of the ten virgins who took their lamps and went to await the coming of the bridegroom. The five foolish virgins had not brought sufficient oil; and while they had gone for more oil, the bridegroom came. The door was shut as the wedding feast began. When they returned, the foolish virgins were not admitted to the feast. Jesus admonished: "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour," (v.13). In a reference to a wedding feast (Luke 12:35-40), Jesus implored, "You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect," (v.40).

The waiting implied in this verse is from the Greek word prosdechomai, which means "to look for with a view to favorable reception." It is the waiting of one who knows the master will act and waits for clear and specific direction from the master. The healthy church waits for God to reveal his will and exercise his power in his time and in his way.

THE HEALTHY CHURCH IS CHARACTERIZED MORE BY WHAT IT PROCLAIMS THAN BY WHAT IT PROGRAMS: (Luke 11:23; 12:8-9)

We have a tendency to evaluate a church in terms of how much it is doing, in the numbers and variety of its programs. In Luke 12:8-9, Jesus focused the church's attention on its call to proclaim.

The primary role of the church is to proclaim the gospel. That purpose must permeate everything the church does. Each program and activity must clearly and directly contribute to that purpose. The church is not first of all a social or charitable organization; it is the proclaiming body of Christ.

THE HEALTHY CHURCH IS CHARACTERIZED MORE BY ITS COMPASSIONS THAN BY ITS PASSIONS: (Luke 10:27-37: 11:45; 12:6-7)

There is a tendency to judge a church by the intensity and favor of its people and programs. There is an equating of church effectiveness with the degree of emotion with which worship is carried out.

In the book of Luke, we catch a glimpse of the quiet compassion that Jesus taught should characterize the church. In Luke 10:27-37, we read the parable of the "good Samaritan" who met the needs of his "neighbor" quietly and compassionately. In Luke 11:45 Jesus condemned the religious leaders for their lack of compassion. And in Luke 12:6-7, Jesus gave some idea of the depth of His compassion by noting that God cares even for the sparrows sold as temple sacrifices and cares so much more for us that he knows the very hairs on our heads!

The healthy church has at its heart two responses, to love God and to love other human beings (Luke 10:27). Neither of these responses need be characterized by loud, emotional displays. God's call is to a caring, sharing ministry, an intimate compassion for others. The depth and breadth of that compassion are the measure of the healthy church.

THE HEALTHY CHURCH IS CHARACTERIZED MORE BY WHAT IT IS CONFIDENT OF THAN WHAT IT IS COMPETENT IN: (Luke 11:11-13; 12:32)

As churches grow in size, they tend to put greater emphasis on training and developing skills. A greater premium is placed on placing "competent" people in the right slots so that the church's performance will be guided by proven experts.

Jesus chose as his core leaders men who were not "competent" in the usual sense. Peter, whose sermon on Pentecost so stirred the city of Jerusalem, was chosen as a relatively inarticulate Galilean fisherman. Perhaps as revealing was Jesus' choice of Judas, his eventual betrayer. What led Jesus to select these "incompetents" as his allies? We find in John 2:23-25 this observation: " for he knew all men, … for he himself knew what was in man."

The healthy church is fully confident of God's provision. God can and does use talented people. But God's ability to work through a church is dependent not only on available skill or competence but also on faith. We should never forget that God's primary desire is to reveal himself, not to display the talents of his spiritual children.