Building Community

[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 28th of January, 2018.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

With this new year I’ve been talking about new beginnings and the original beginning of the universe and all there is in it.  Today I’d like to look at another beginning – the beginning of the church, the body of Jesus left upon the earth to continue His work.  We celebrate that beginning every year with our observance of Pentecost  The roots of Jesus’ church were planted on the day when God sent down His Holy Spirit to touch and enter the hearts of the believers gathered in one place.  The Apostle Luke records the entire incident for us in chapter 2 of his Book of the Acts of the Apostles.

The Apostle Peter gave a very dynamic and emotional speech that day to rebuke some who scoffed at the believers, not understanding what they saw and heard.  Please listen and follow along to the last portion of that speech and the results it brought, as I read from verses 32 and 33, 36, and 41 through 47 of chapter 2 of Luke’s Book of Acts, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…

32 “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. 33 Now He is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as He had promised, gave Him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today.

36 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”

41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day — about 3,000 in all.

42 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.

43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity — 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

--Acts 2:32-33, 36, 41-47 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, You sent Your Holy Spirit to live within those who believe in Jesus, to be their Guide and constant Companion.  Thank You, Father, for adopting us into Your family.  Thank You for giving us Your own Holy Spirit.  Help us to maintain and grow our community of faith in service to You and to Jesus.  Speak to us now, Father, that we might better hear Your voice and know Your will for our lives.  In the blessed name of Your Son Jesus we pray.   Amen.


You know you live in a small town when:

• Third Street is on the edge of town.
• Every sport is played on dirt.
• You don't need to use your turn signal because everyone knows where you are going.
• You dial a wrong number and talk for 15 minutes anyway.
• You drive into a ditch 5 miles out of town and word of it gets back into town before you do.
• You write a check on the wrong bank and they still cover it for you.
• Someone asks you how you feel, and then listens to what you say.
• You miss a Sunday at church and receive a get-well card.

How much of that sounds familiar to you?  That definitely describes the Concord I grew up in.  No one locked their doors.  Kids were allowed to go out and play and ride their bikes anywhere without fearing for their safety.  If I got in trouble anywhere, my parents knew about it long before I got home.

It’s as if the whole town was one big neighborhood, and everyone was a good neighbor.  But even then, and especially today, a neighborhood is seldom a community.  It takes more than living side-by-side to make a community.  There must be more in common than that.


Have you ever heard of a church referred to as an Acts 2 church?  The term describes a congregation that tries to follow the example set by the first Christian church, the one the Luke tells us about in chapter 2 of his Book of Acts.  A number of things really stand out in our reading this morning of the Acts 2 church:  They gathered together in the Temple each day.  They also met in their homes, sharing meals, and the Lord’s Supper, with great joy and generosity.  And that generosity extended out into the greater Jerusalem vicinity around them, even to the point that many sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need.  They praised God the whole time and enjoyed the goodwill of the people.  But most notable of all, the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved each and every day!

An Acts 2 church builds a community of believers, a community of faith, first within itself, and then growing by adding others.  They build that community by gathering together often, by sharing meals together, by helping to meet the needs of others around them, and by praising God.  Luke gives us a little more insight into this original church, in the 4th chapter of his Book of Acts, verses 32 through 37…

32 All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. 33 The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. 34 There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35 and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.

36 For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. 37 He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.

--Acts 4:32-37 (NLT)

All the believers were united in heart and mind!  No fussing or bickering – imagine that!  They recognized God’s great blessings upon them by sharing with those in need.  They gave one the name Barnabas, meaning Son of Encouragement.  Doesn’t it provide encouragement to others, when someone goes above and beyond to help them?


The first church wasn’t the first to build community.  They merely followed the example Jesus set.  Listen to an event the Apostle Luke recorded for us in chapter 9 of his Gospel account, verses 1 & 2 and 10 through the first part of 13…

1 One day Jesus called together His twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. 2 Then He sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

10 When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then He slipped quietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida. 11 But the crowds found out where He was going, and they followed Him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and He healed those who were sick.

12 Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to Him and said, “Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.”

13 But Jesus said, “You feed them.”

--Luke 9:1-2, 10-13a (NLT)

This is when Jesus fed the five thousand men, not counting the women and children present.  Yes, Jesus performed a miracle by feeding so many with so little.  But do you see how Jesus set the example for the Acts 2 church?

“You feed them”, He told His disciples.  Don’t send them away to fend for themselves.  Don’t turn your back on them.  Feed them, provide for their need, and they will respond by becoming part of our community of belief.  Jesus started with 12 men, He added many from the thousands that day, and He built a household of faith that spans the world today.

King David recognized how important community is to believers, in his 133rd Psalm…

1 How wonderful and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in harmony!
2 For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil
that was poured over Aaron’s head,
that ran down his beard
and onto the border of his robe.
3 Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon
that falls on the mountains of Zion.
And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing,
even life everlasting.

--Psalm 133 (NLT)

Living together in harmony - building community.  We here at Pilgrim do really good on both counts.  But we can’t let up, nor can we allow ourselves to become discouraged when things don’t happen as fast as we think they should or turn out the way we want them to, for life everlasting awaits us.  The first church experienced set-backs and persecution, so we should expect no less ourselves.

We just need to keep doing what we’re doing and not get upset with one another over little things.  We need to keep gathering together as often as possible to worship and praise our Lord, and I’d love to see us have more meals together, not just Holy Communion and those we serve as fundraisers.

We should continue reaching out into the world, spreading the Good News of salvation through Jesus, making disciples, sharing His love by giving of our time and resources to help others in their hour of need.  We should keep building and growing the community of faith our Lord Jesus began.  We must let others see Jesus and His love through our service and our love, given freely to them.

We are a community of believers.  Let’s grow.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, the church of Your Son Jesus began on the day You sent Your own Holy Spirit as a gift to man, to those who would believe in Your only Son.  On that day, a new community was born.  Thank You for, Father, for giving us Your Spirit as our constant Companion and Guide.  Forgive us when we ignore His urgings and lead.  Help us to be more obedient to His commands, and to do Your will.

Please hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You straight from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, repenting of our sinful ways, seeking Your forgiveness…

Lord Jesus, You hand-picked 12 men to follow You and to be the foundation of a great community of believers.  As You ministered during Your brief walk on earth, You added to the household of faith each day.  Help us, Lord, to continue building Your community.  Help us to grow our family of believers.  Help us to share Your love and God’s many blessings with the greater world.  Help us to do the work You left for us.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith.  Amen.