by Dale Reeves
Story Pastor
This past Sunday at Christ’s Church, our lead pastor, Brad Wilson, began a new teaching series entitled, “All In.” Last week Brad talked about what it means to be “All In” with the church that Jesus established, as we studied a passage of Scripture that shows how all in the early church was. If you missed that teaching on Acts 2:42-47, you can check it out here.
There’s a song that has been playing on K-Love radio for the past month that I can’t seem to get out of my head, so I may as well put it on repeat in your brain too! As part of the lyrics, TobyMac sings,
“My cup’s about as empty as this wilderness I’m in,
I lost my way with the loss of love that came to a bitter end.
So far from runnin’ over, so close to givin’ in,
It’s gonna take the hands that made me to make me whole again.
I could use a lil church right now, love to have a little family around,
I’ve been feelin’ so overwhelmed, I could use a lil church right now.
I can almost hear the choir singin’, back to when I was a child believin’,
Nobody’s too lost to get found, I could use a lil church right now.
It’s not about the four walls or that steeple up on top,
Ain’t talkin’ about them hard pews or that torn-up parkin’ lot.
It could happen on a dirt road, or a crowded coffee shop,
Yeah, the church I need is the hands and feet of a God who came to love.”
Songwriters: Benji Cowart / Kyle Williams / Toby Mckeehan
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing
If you want to get your day off to a great start, check out Toby’s music video today.
All In
Toby is so spot on. The church is not a building, it is the people of God, whenever and wherever they get together. Jesus himself said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Mattthew 18:20, ESV).
In our church today, we assemble as a group of believers every Sunday morning in our large space, once a month we gather to pray on Sunday evenings; as men’s groups we meet in a coffee shop or around a firepit; as women’s groups, we meet in homes, in church classrooms, or on a playground with our kids; we meet as community groups in our homes; we play pickle ball or hoop it up in a gym; we join hands and pray around someone in a hospital bed; we mourn together at a funeral home, or in a grief recovery group; we serve others through packing meals or providing disaster relief; as kids and teenagers, we have a blast creating things to share with those in our community; we feed the homeless; we sew quilts and blankets and comfort bears for others in need . . . we are the church!
Acts 2 tells us that because Jesus’ followers in the early church devoted themselves to God and to one another, they believed they were to share all things in common. Because they were all in, they were sold out, they were generous, they distributed whatever they had to meet any need they saw in the name of Jesus. Day by day God added to their number those who were observing this incredible demonstration of sacrificial love, and because these newbies wanted to be a part of that kind of family, they jumped all in as well.
With Awe-Some Expectancy
As the believers in Jesus fully devoted themselves to God and to one another, Luke tells us that “A deep sense of awe came over them all” (Acts 2:43, NLT). The Greek word translated “awe” here is phobos (from which we derive our English word phobia), which speaks more to a godly fear, reverence, and expectancy—in reaction to God’s majesty and power. God’s presence and power caused a holy atmosphere; even those who were not yet following Jesus were aware of the sacredness of what was happening in the early church, and they wanted to get in on what they saw.
Would you say that “a deep sense of awe” describes the attitude with which you approach God, does it describe the expectation you have for attending a weekend worship experience with other believers? Do you approach your time alone with God and your time gathering with other members of his body, the church, in godly fear and awe, in expectation of what he wants to do in your life? Or, it is it just about “checking a box,” and feeling better about yourself?
I would submit to you that if you are pursuing God expectantly, if you are asking him how he wants you to respond to his goodness and mercies that he pours into your life every week, then he will answer your request, and reveal to you more of himself and his goodness. And, the more you do that, and the more you submit to him, the more you will be able to BE a “LIL CHURCH RIGHT NOW” whenever and wherever he calls you to!
Hope to see you this coming week as we talk some more about what it means to truly be ALL IN!