The DNA of a healthy Church

The following is an excerpt of a sermon entitled the DNA of a healthy Church

They were continually devoted to prayer:

Notice again in verse 42 that the early church was not only devoted to the teaching of the Apostles...but to prayer:

“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”    

Now when we read that they continued steadfastly in prayers this refers to set times of corporate prayer. The early church was not just giving some time to prayer. They were given over to prayer. They were convinced that prayer was the way in which they would be enabled by the power of the Holy Spirit to fulfill the impossible. Have you ever heard someone say before starting a meeting, “Let me say a quick prayer before we begin.” It’s as if we are saying, “Lets hurry up and get this formality of prayer out of the way, so we can get down to the real business at hand.” How many of you know that apart from continual devotion to prayer we will never get down to the real business of the Father—will we never accomplish anything of eternal significance.  Notice that in the verse that follows we read:

“And fear (or Awe) came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles” (v.43).  

Many evangelical preachers such as myself will read a verse like this and typically dismiss it by saying, “signs and wonders were only given during the apostolic era.” Now I do believe that there was special apostolic authority given to the apostles that is not given today. But the same Holy Spirit power that produced unquestionable signs and wonders during the apostolic era is the same powerthat the church needs today to get God’s work done on earth. If we really believe God’s work cannot be done apart for the supernatural aid of the Holy Spirit we will be given to prayer.  

In an interview, Francis Chan related that he was asked by somebody if he noticed in his travels a difference between the way people pray in America compared to Asia and Latin America.

He said, “yeah a big difference.”

And when ask why he thought that was the case he said,

“In America we have other options.

There’s other ways to fill a room.

There’s other ways to get people to raise their hands.  

There’s other ways to get people to come forward other than prayer.

There’s a way to create a semblance of a move of God outside of prayer.

And again it’s not a real movement of God.

It’s a manufactured thing.

We can create excitement…but in other places you don’t have that.

It’s all or nothing.

This is very important because the true fruit is when we are abiding.

That’s the fruit that’s going to last.

And I think some of us are content with the fake stuff.”

How many of you want to see a real move of God where multitudes are coming to Christ? I didn’t ask how many want to see churches growing with Christians that have left one church to join another church because the music is better or because they have more programs. I’m not talking about people coming forward at an evangelistic crusade, but never experiencing a life that’s been radically transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. I’m talking about a move of God where people are truly born again and the evidence is that they bear fruit that remains. That’s what we see in our text. Not only did 3000 people come to Christ in one day and where baptized, but those 3000 people continued in the apostle’s doctrine. And they didn’t have to be enticed by worldly amusement and state of the art facilities to come to church. They came because they were hungry to know God. They came because Jesus was the draw.  And let me remind you that before this move of God took place 120 believers were waiting in prayer in an upper room. And after the move of God took place they continued to devote themselves to gathering together to seek the face of God in prayer.

Let’s not be so quick to right off seeing these kinds of moves of God in America by saying that it’s only something that God did during the apostolic era. Tell that to the underground church in China were they see miracles happening regularly and were its reported that over 3000 plus people come to Christ every day. Why is that happening? Could it be that because they don’t have as many options as we do in America that they simply trust in the power of the gospel as they give themselves over to prayer and the ministry of the word? There is no doubt that an essential part of the DNA of a healthy church is a continual devotion to seeking God’s face corporately in prayer.