The Christians Hour

Aaron Brockett: You're listening to The Christians Hour. Thank you for joining us today. It's a joy to have you with us. The Christians Hour is a ministry of Gospel Broadcasting Mission where we proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ through radio and media until all have heard. I don't know about you, but the church of Jesus has radically impacted my life in a tremendous way.

In fact, while I was sitting in a local church in a dark green chair, I heard the gospel, the good news of Jesus for the very first time. It was a message I had never truly understood before, and it changed my life forever. Jesus said, "I will build my church," and that promise has never changed. Here we are nearly 2,000 years later, and his church is still standing. Despite persecution, hardships, cultural changes, and countless challenges throughout history, Christ continues to build his church.

Does that mean the church is perfect? Certainly not. The church is made up of imperfect people, every one of us, pastors and ministry leaders alike. But the good news is that the church's future doesn't depend on imperfect people. Jesus Christ is the head of the church, and he remains faithful to his promises. What a privilege it is to be part of what God is doing through his church: to go and make disciples and to share the hope of reconciliation with those who have never heard.

Today, Gene Appel, lead pastor of Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim, California, continues our series, "Some Things Never Change." As we look at the beginning of the church in Acts chapter two, we’re going to discover that the same principles that helped the first believers thrive are just as essential for God's people today. We’ll see how the church can be united, growing, and filled with hope as it points people to Jesus. Here’s Gene to share more.

Gene Appel: And today what I want to do is to challenge each of us to do what I think is the most important thing you can do spiritually for your future, and that is to dive deep into the church of Jesus Christ. Now, I know many of you are reluctant to do that. For instance, have you seen this T-shirt that says, "Jesus yes, church no"? And that spirit is a growing spirit in our day. It's an idea that's gaining increasing popularity. It's the same spirit that Gandhi expressed many years ago when he said, "I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians."

There may be a fair amount of you that to one degree or another, you have some similar feelings. And I get that. Some of the people that I've been most hurt by and most disappointed in life have been church people. So I understand why you might say, "Jesus yes, church no." Honestly, one of the things that keeps many people resistant to Christianity is there are so many bad versions of Christianity and bad versions of church, and some of you are products of that.

I talk to people all the time who say, "I feel kind of drawn to the church and what's being said, but I've got doubts and questions and a lot of skepticism about the church. I've got some church hurt in my past." Maybe you were a part of a church one time where the pastor had an affair or even abused people, or there was some kind of scandal. Maybe you were a part of a church that was full of people who were mean-spirited and judgmental. Maybe they knew some of your colorful and sordid past, and they treated you like you had a disease or something.

Or you got involved, and then the church split over something like the color of paint on the wall. That stuff really happens. So I understand why people would say, "Jesus yes, church no," because churches are made up of imperfect people like me. But friends, in spite of the church's imperfections, in spite of so many bad versions of the church out there that do more harm than good, I'm more optimistic than ever about the future of the church of Jesus Christ. And so today in our series "Some Things Never Change," I've titled this message "The Church Still Prevails."

People keep saying the church is dead. I just don't see it. And today I want to tell you why I'm bullish on the future of the church of Jesus Christ and why I unapologetically call you to dive deep with your life into the church. The first reason, honestly, is very personal to me. And it's because God has used the church to change my life. My life has revolved around the work of God in the church of Jesus Christ for over six decades now, not because I'm a pastor, not because I'm paid to do this, but because I'm a follower of Jesus and I'm a part of the family of God in his church.

And I'm so incredibly optimistic about the church of Jesus Christ for many reasons, but one is simply it's just changed my life. We could take this microphone right now, we could pass it around the room, and you would hear story after story of how God has worked in your life and through your life and in your family and in your kids through the church. Not because the church was perfect, but because God used an imperfect church to bring you to a perfect God.

Second, I'm optimistic about the future of the church of Jesus Christ because the vision of the church is so compelling and life-changing. A river is purest at its source. And so I want you to go back with me. I want to look at the birth and the life and the vision of the very first church in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago. The Apostle Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, preaches to thousands in the streets of Jerusalem. And here's what happens next. He preaches about Jesus and it says Acts 2:41, "Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all."

Three thousand people at one time in one setting from one sermon were born again and changed by Jesus. Three thousand lives experienced forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Three thousand spiritual explorers became spiritual graduates that day. Peter and the rest of the apostles had to figure out how in the world they were going to provide spiritual care for all these new, vulnerable new followers of Jesus. And I've always had a feeling that between Acts 2:41 and the very next verse, Acts 2:42, the apostles got together and they had some planning sessions, some prayer meetings.

Out of that, they established four basics or four priorities, four values, four practices that they were going to challenge these new spiritual graduates to, that I kind of think of that first group of 3,000 as the class of 33 AD. And they would challenge them to devote themselves to these four things for the rest of their lives. And the task fell to Peter and the other spiritual leaders to challenge these new followers of Jesus to four basics. And here they are. Verse 42: "They devoted themselves, first to the apostles' teaching, second to fellowship, and third to the breaking of bread, and fourth to prayer."

Peter and the other leaders made no apologies in challenging all 3,000 freshly baptized graduates to just devote themselves, to invest themselves, to dedicate themselves to these four spiritual practices. And the amazing thing is, they did it. They simply put on the blinders and they said these four practices will become the top priority of our lives. And over time, the results were absolutely incredible. If you've ever wondered what a church looks like when it's working right, this is it. This is God's compelling vision for his church.

Look what happens in the aftermath, the next verse: "Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together. They had everything in common. They sold property and possessions so they could give to anyone who had need. And every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

Friends, that's the dream for every church. That's the dream I'm giving my time, my energy, my prayers, my resources, and my very life for. And I covenant with you to never let go of this dream and to pay any price for that dream and to show up every day with a serving towel over my arm and on my knees for that dream. Did you notice that last little phrase down there? "The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

Why? Because of the dramatic transformation that the Holy Spirit was doing in the lives of all these new believers living out that dream. And their neighbors and their family would look at them, these transformed followers of Jesus and say, "I want what they have in my life. I want that in my marriage. I want that in my family." And all those dramatic results can be traced back to these 3,000 graduates devoting themselves to just these four basics that Peter prescribed.

The class of 33 eventually became the leadership and the serving core of the Christian movement as it spread throughout the Roman Empire and eventually to the ends of the earth. These 3,000 graduates, every bit as ordinary, every bit as busy, every bit as timid and stubborn and sinful as you and me, responded to the challenge to incorporate these four basics into their lives.

Now could I talk candidly for a few minutes? I just want to challenge each and every one of you to do exactly what Peter challenged the class of 33 to do and just dive deep into these four practices, and I'm not going to shrink back an inch. First, I want to challenge you to devote yourself to the Apostles' teaching. Peter says everybody devote yourself to the Apostles' teaching, which simply means God's Word, the Bible. You see, at that point in time, they didn't have the Bible assembled like we have in our books today or on our smart devices.

It was the divinely inspired words of the apostles, the Apostles' teaching, that became our Bible. So they didn't have someone stand up at the front and say, "Hey, let's all open our Bibles today to 2 Peter chapter three." No, they just turned to Peter and said, "Teach us." And they devoted themselves to the Apostles' teaching. The Bible is our nourishment; it's what feeds our souls. What we eat determines our health, and the same applies spiritually. So could I just challenge you to devote yourself to the public teaching that occurs whenever the church gathers?

We all need these times of spiritual nutrition. The Bible says don't miss the assembling of yourselves together with the church. Plan your schedule, plan your life around devoting yourself to that kind of teaching because something supernatural happens when we're all together that could change your life. A second kind of teaching opportunity you might want to think about plugging into is in a small group. A third kind of teaching is actually the greatest kind, and that's when you read and study the Bible on your own. Some of the best Bible teaching you'll ever experience is when you open up God's Word and you just say, "Word of God, speak."

Listen, I've never known a strong, effective, mature follower of Jesus that God was using in a significant way that was not totally devoted to Bible teaching. According to Peter, a second absolute essential for diving deep in your faith spiritually is to devote yourself to community. Acts 2:42 says they devoted themselves to the fellowship, to one another, to community, to relationships, to the body of Christ. And I think maybe this is the one that Peter talked about with the most enthusiasm and emotion. I can almost hear Peter say to the class of 33, "Hey, you know, you're talking to one who knows the value of community."

Three years ago, I was the owner of an independent fishing business. Independent kind of describes me really well. But then Jesus of Nazareth called me to follow him. And I got drafted into a small group of 12 of the strangest humanoids I have ever met. And over the next three years, we walked together, and we talked together, and we traveled together, and we ate meals together. And almost without even realizing it was happening, we became like brothers together.

I picture Peter getting kind of choked up on this one and maybe looking out at the class of 33 and then off to the side, he sees his brothers, the disciples, his close friends. And I can just hear him say to those guys, "Hey, I love you guys. My life would be incomplete without you in it." And I have a feeling that was enough for every single person in the class of 33 to say, "That's it. I'm devoting myself to community for the rest of my life."

According to Peter, another absolute essential to diving deep in your spiritual life is to devote yourself to prayer. Maybe you can identify with the person who prayed, "Dear God, so far today I've done all right. I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper, I haven't been grumpy, nasty, or selfish. I haven't lied, I haven't stolen or cheated. But in a few minutes, God, I'm going to get out of bed. And that's when I'm going to need a lot of help."

You don't have to be a follower of Jesus very long before you realize you need a lot of help. And friends, prayer is the difference between the best you can do and the best God can do. One of the things that's so helpful for me each morning is just my practice. The first thing I do when my alarm goes off is I just lay in bed for two or three more minutes and I just start my day praying. And it's just a simple prayer. I just say, "God, it's a new day and I don't want to go through this day without you. So I just say together today, God, together today. I want to walk through this day with you. I want to listen to you, be used by you, empowered by you."

Finally, Peter teaches the fourth absolute essential for diving deep spiritually is to devote yourself to communion or what he calls to the breaking of bread. Communion is the regular coming together of the whole church to remember what Jesus did for us when he allowed the Roman soldiers to beat him and mock him and whip him and strip him naked and pound nails in his hands and his feet and hoist him up on the cross for public ridicule, for our salvation.

Friends, the church of Jesus Christ spread like wildfire in the first century because of their devotion to these four basics right here. And like the class of 33, if we get this right, there is no end to what God will do in our lives as unfinished people. In fact, let me ask you, if you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, if God the Holy Spirit were just kind of to speak audibly into your ear right now, just whisper into your ear, which one or two of these four areas would he say, "This one kind of needs the most attention right now"? Or "Here's a couple that need more attention than the others"? You need to devote yourself more to, would it be teaching, community, prayer, communion? I hope you’ll pay attention to that nudge you're getting right now from the Holy Spirit. I'm optimistic about the future of the church of Jesus Christ because the vision of the local church is so compelling.

Now lastly today, I'm optimistic about the future of the church of Jesus Christ because Jesus is the one who said, "I will build my church." It's not our church; it's his church. And he said he would build his church. I love the fact that Jesus is the first person in the Bible to mention the church. In Matthew chapter 16, Jesus gives his disciples a little pop quiz and says, "Hey guys, who do people say that I am?" And they replied, "Well, some say you're John the Baptist; some say you're Elijah; others say you're Jeremiah or one of the other prophets." And Jesus said, "But what about you? Who do you say that I am?" And Peter says, "Ding ding ding ding ding! You're the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

And Jesus responds to that statement by saying, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my—" build what? "My church. And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Jesus said, "I will build my church and the church will prevail. Even the gates of hell will not prevail against the church of Jesus Christ." You see, the great thing about the church of Jesus Christ is that it's not led by a flawed guy like me; it's led by a perfect leader like Jesus Christ.

And for 2,000 years, the gates of hell have not prevailed, and Jesus just keeps building his church, in spite of its flaws, in spite of its warts, in spite of attacks. Jesus' enemies thought they had defeated him when they crucified him on a cross. But the gates of hell did not prevail, and three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. A few weeks later, Jesus ascended into heaven and some thought it was the end. But that first small group of 12 grew to 120 and then it exploded on the day of Pentecost when over 3,000 people were baptized. And the gates of hell did not prevail.

But then it looked bleak in the year 38 AD when Stephen was stoned to death for following Jesus. And the church scattered. And as a result, the most effective form of church planting that only God could have dreamed up unfolded, and soon churches started sprouting up in cities like Thessalonica and Ephesus which had 20 to 30 thousand believers. A church in Antioch grew to over 100,000 believers and the gates of hell did not prevail, and Jesus built his church.

From 250 to 261 AD, the church experienced the decade of horror when thousands of Jesus followers were murdered, slaughtered, beheaded, crucified, thrown to wild animals, and tortured because they dared to say, "I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back." But the gates of hell did not prevail, and Jesus built his church. And throughout the centuries, the church has survived scandals and dark periods and embarrassing, tragic fiascos like the Crusades, which were a horrible expression of religious abuse.

But through it all, the gates of hell did not prevail, and Jesus built his church. In the mid-20th century, there was a leader named Mao Zedong who launched the Chinese Communist Revolution, again trying to stamp out Christianity in China. He kicked out every Western missionary in 1949, including some of our own. And everybody thought, "Oh, the church in China is going to die. What are they going to do?" Well, here's what they're going to do. All of the converted Chinese people started becoming pastors and the underground church began to gain life through the power of the Spirit.

And today Mao Zedong is dead, but the church in China is alive and growing faster right now than anywhere else in human history. And the gates of hell did not prevail, and Jesus built his church. Fast forward to 1979. There was this Iranian revolution and the government leaders established a hardline Islamic regime. And they kicked out all the missionaries. They outlawed evangelism, and Bibles were abandoned. And several pastors were publicly tortured and executed.

Many people feared at the time that the tiny little Iranian church—it was less than 500 Christians in all of Iran—would wither and die. And yet more Iranians have become Christians in the last 20 years than in the previous 13 centuries combined. There are over a million Iranian Christians meeting as the underground church right now, and the gates of hell did not prevail, and Jesus is building his church.

Now listen, people for over 20 centuries have been saying, "The church is going to die. The church is going to die. The church is going to die." But friends, listen to me. Jesus said he will build his church, and the gates of hell will never ever, ever be able to stop it. Persecution couldn't stop it; Communist takeovers couldn't stop it; Islamic terrorists couldn't stop it; the secular media can't stop it; cynical college professors can't stop it; antagonistic politicians can't stop it. Why? Because some things never change. And 2,000 years ago, Jesus made a promise: "I will build my church," and Jesus keeps his promises.

I'm filled with optimism. I'm bullish for the vision of the church of Jesus Christ. Don't ever bet against the church of Jesus Christ. God used the church to change my life, and he's changed your life. The Acts 2 vision of the local church is so compelling and so life-changing. Because Jesus is the one who said, "I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it," and the church still prevails.

Acapella Ministries: What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Singing, O precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my pardon, this I see,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my cleansing, this my plea,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Singing, O precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Nothing can for sin atone,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

Naught of good that I have done,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Singing, O precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

And what can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

O precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

O precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Aaron Brockett: Well, our thanks to Gene Appel for that encouraging reminder of the foundation upon which the church stands. The church has endured for nearly 2,000 years, not because of human strength or wisdom, but because it belongs to Jesus Christ. He is still building his church, and nothing can stop what he has begun. Perhaps today you're not connected to a church family. Or maybe you've been hurt by people in the church, and so you've stepped away.

If that’s your story, can I encourage you not to allow the failures of imperfect people to keep you from the one who gave his life for you? Jesus never promised the churches would be perfect. After all, every church is made of people who are still growing in their faith. But God designed his people to live in community, encouraging one another, serving together, and growing together in Christ. If you're searching for a church home, begin by praying and asking God to guide you.

Look for a church that's faithfully teaching God's Word, one that exalts Jesus and seeks to live out his truths, those that are found in Scripture. Then get involved. Build relationships, serve others, grow in your faith alongside fellow believers. And if you need help finding a Bible-believing church in your area, we’d be happy to assist you. Just send us an email at thechristianshour@gmail.com. If you'd like to hear this program again, just go visit our website at thechristianshour.org.

There you'll find today's message available to stream or download for free anytime, as well as all of our broadcasts from this year. While you're there, I also encourage you to learn more about our global ministry, Gospel Broadcasting Mission. Through radio and media, we share messages just like this all over the world, including many places where few have ever heard the name of Jesus. Our prayer is to see the gospel continue to reach communities where churches have yet to be established and where people are still waiting to hear the hope of Christ.

Also, we’d love for you to stay connected with all that's happening through the ministry by following us on social media by searching for The Christians Hour on Facebook and Instagram. Our thanks to Acapella Ministries for today's music of worship, and our thanks to you as well for joining us today. We hope you'll be with us again next week as we continue digging into God's Word together.