A Learning Church
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)
I heard a story about a pastor who wasn’t getting much feedback about the sermon he preached. So after the service, he stood in the back of the church to shake hands with people and wait for someone to say something about it. But no one said a word. Finally one woman came by who always had something thoughtful to say, so he asked her, “What did you think of my sermon today? How was it?”
“Pastor,” she said, “your sermon reminded me of the peace and love of God.”
He was relieved to hear that. “Wow,” he said, “I’ve never had anyone actually say that to me before. Tell me, how did my message remind of you of the peace and love of God?”
“Well, like the peace of God, it passed all understanding. And like the love of God, it endured forever.”
Far too many preachers today can take the life-changing, power-packed message of the Word of God and somehow make it dull and uninteresting.
The early church, the church of the first century, was a Spirit-filled church. It was a strong, vibrant, healthy, living church. This early church had passion. They had excitement. They had commitment. They were living in a first-love relationship with Jesus Christ, and they had burning hearts—not a casual attitude. There was spiritual excitement in what they did. They applied themselves to what was taught from the Word of God.
As John Stott said, “The Spirit of God leads the people of God to submit to the Word of God.” They believed in the teaching and preaching of the Bible. This is a primary mission of the church today. And if you are a real believer who has been filled with the Holy Spirit, then you will love the Word of God.
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