"They Devoted Themselves"

(Acts 2:42-47)

Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn

INTRODUCTION:

Did you notice all the extra headlights and porch lights on this weekend? I had a meeting in Waco Saturday morning and saw a lot of lights on. It was a simple but wonderful tribute to the slain students and their families. An act of solidarity. I received an e-mail early in the week that basically asked us to drive Friday, Saturday and Sunday with our lights on, and to turn on our porch lights on those days as a way to show others and the world that we care. In part it said: "I'm going to turn on my lights for the families in Littleton to show them that I care about them, that I feel the pain and hurt and heartache. I'm going to turn on my lights for what is right about this country. I'm going to turn on my lights against the darkness, the anger and the prejudice."

This has been a particularly gruesome week. The tragic events of Littleton Colorado; the allegations that these two boys planned to blow up the school; finding Christy Ryno's body in the Trinity River; the arson and burglary of First UMC in Bedford; and the ongoing war in Kosovo. These images stick with us and haunt us. Images of broken buildings, broken bodies, and broken families. The pain that has swept across this country, the fear and the horror and the disbelief of it all is almost too much to bear.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I don't think I can handle anymore. My heart broke for the members of First Bedford and the loss of their Sanctuary. And I'm having a hard time responding to the events of Kosovo. I'm torn between "Yes, we need to be their because of the atrocities," and a sense of "My God, what are we doing?" My heart breaks for the family of Christy Ryno. But my heart really breaks for the parents of the youth who lost their lives in the senseless shooting in Littleton, Colorado. All of this is compounded by the fact that five years ago we gathered in similar shock and disbelief, and began searching for answers to the tragedy in Oklahoma City.

We come with the same questions and the same confusion. And the main question we ask is "Why?" I don't have the answer to that question. I'm not sure anybody does or ever will. We want it answered. We want to know so we can go after the cause or the person behind this horrible tragedy. We want to know "Why?" so we can prevent it from happening in OUR community.

The families and members of the community of Littleton are asking, "how could this happen here?" Unfortunately, it could have happened anywhere. Not because the youth today are rotten, they're not. Did you hear me? They're not. The youth of today are bright and devoted and wonderful. Look at OUR youth group.

There was no magic demographic formula or sociologically induced set of factors that brought this on. These were simply two young men gone astray; two young men lost and confused. It's shocking to look at their Yearbook pictures. There's no hate in their eyes. Either one or both of these boys, involved in another peer group, with a different set of influences, could have been student body president or one of the victims. And This tragedy could have taken place in any city or town in America.

Wrestling with the "How could this happen?" question is almost as frustrating as asking "Why?" I'm not even sure either one of those questions is beneficial or the right questions to ask. I think we need to be looking to the "Who" and asking "how," "Who do we turn to." and "How can we help prevent something like this from ever happening again?"

The "Who," of course, is God. Somebody might ask, "Well, where's God in all of this?" The answer is, right where God has always been, smack dab in the middle of it. Scripture tells us that the Good News is that God is with us, we are not alone. The Risen Christ, is an everyday reality. God's presence is right there in the midst of the grief and sorrow and will be there in their recovery. God is with them, holding them up, giving them strength and helping them make sense out of life. God is with them and with the millions of people who are praying for them God is in every tear and every prayer by them and by us.

And believe it or not, I believe that God was even with those boys. God was calling and shouting to be heard. God was trying to get their attention. Christ was knocking as loud as He has ever knocked on the door of their hearts. They looked God in the eyes when they asked the one young girl if she believed in God. And her testimony of faith wrapped up in that one little word "Yes" was God reaching out to those young men. But they didn't listen. The doors to their hearts were closed and bolted shut.

What we need to remember is that God doesn't leave when tragedy occurs. That's when God is felt the most. That's when God is the closest. Holding us up, giving us strength and courage. Breathing life into us through the Holy Spirit. God IS with us. All we have to do is trust God not let fear and despair take control.

That brings us to the "How." How can we help prevent this kind of thing from happening. I believe that if you and your children are here this morning, then you've taken the first step. Together you're building the best foundation against this sort of thing there is.

And second, I think if we, as the Church, follow the example of the Disciples in this passage from Acts, then that foundation we build will be even stronger. Let's look at that. Verse 42 says: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." We need to devote ourselves to the same things to build that strong foundation.

I. TEACHING:

A. Let's look at Teaching. Today we don't have the Apostles with us. But we can still learn about Jesus and His teachings through an ongoing Bible Study like Disciple; through Sunday School; through short term Bible studies and other studies; and through our own personal reading and study of the Scripture.

Some of you are probably thinking, well how is that going to help? Do you know the promises that are available in the Bible? Do you know how much difference claiming and making those promises a reality can change your life?

B. James Moore, pastor of St. Luke's UMC in Houston has a book out entitled, Attitude is Your Paintbrush: It Colors Everything You Do. That's so true. The right or wrong attitude makes all the difference in life, doesn't it? Well then, listen to the promises that can change your attitude. I found these in a quote entitled "Our Thinking vs. God's Promises."

We think: "It's impossible"

God says: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)

We think: "I'm too tired"

God says: I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)

We think: "Nobody really loves me"

God says: I love you (John 3:16 & John 13:34)

We think: "I can't go on"

God says: My grace is sufficient you (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

We think: "I can't figure things out"

God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6)

We think: "I can't do it"

God says: You can do all things (Philippians 4:13)

We think: "I'm not able"

God says: I am able (II Corinthians 9:8)

We think: "It's not worth it"

God says: It will be worth it (Romans 8:28)

We think: "I can't forgive myself"

God says: I forgive you (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

We think: "I can't manage"

God says: I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)

We think: "I'm afraid"

God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7)

We think: "I'm always worried and frustrated"

God says: Cast all your cares on Me (I Peter 5:7)

We think: "I don't have enough faith"

God says: I've given everyone a measure of faith (Romans 12:3)

We think: "I'm not smart enough"

God says: I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30)

We think: "I feel all alone"

God says: I will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5) (1)

These are God's promises. If we and our children have these promise ingrained in our heads and hearts, there won't be the need to search in the dark places of life for love and acceptance. Devote yourself to the Teachings of Christ and the Apostles. Color your life and your children's lives with these promises. Let them grow and touch others.

II. FELLOWSHIP:

A. The second thing on our list to help build that foundation is Fellowship. We do plenty of that. It's simply Christians gathering together to support one another. To fellowship in the way that Acts describes means that we act in a certain way toward one another. And it also means that we don't act in certain ways toward one another. The best way to explain it is to look at some of the more than fifty "one another" passages in the New Testament. Here's just a few. (You learn these from devoting yourself to the teachings.)

B. Love one another (John 13:34-35, Gal 5:14)

Encourage one another (Heb 3:13; 10:24-25)

Be devoted to one another (Rom 12:10)

Build up one another (Rom 14:19; 1 Thess 5:11)

Be kind to one another (1 Thess 5:15)

Live in harmony with one another (Rom 12:16)

Accept one another (Rom 15:7)

Serve one another (Gal 5:13)

Have concern for one another (1 Cor 12:25)

Confess your sins to one another (James 5:16)

Forgive one another (Eph 4:32)

Teach and admonish one another (Col 5:16)

Pray for one another (James 5:16)

Don't judge one another (Rom 14:13)

Don't slander one another (James 4:11)

You see Fellowship isn't just getting together. It's a way of life and it's a way of treating others. When we fellowship with one another in this manner then we become more like Christ.

III. BREAKING BREAD:

A. Third, we find out that the early followers devoted themselves to the breaking of bread. This refers primarily to sharing in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. But it's not exclusively that. Martin Luther liked to talk about every meal as being sacramental in nature. And I agree. Every time we sit down across the table from one another and share food, we strengthen our relationships.

There's just something about sharing food. We do a lot of that here, don't we. So much so, that my doctor told me I needed to change. I think he was talking about my eating habits but I've been thinking about changing doctors. Just kidding. About changing doctors, not eating habits. But there really is something sacramental about sharing food with a friend.

B. I don't remember who told me this but after Communion one Sunday, somebody told me that there was a little girl whose parents made her wait until she was five before she could take communion. They wanted her to understand it a little better. She was in total awe when she finally received the sacrament. Afterwards, she returned to her seat looked up at her Mom and said, "Can we go for seconds?" At that moment she understood the significance of the bread.

It always amazes me that a little piece of bread and a little bit of juice taken in the name of Jesus can fill us so much. But it does. We meet God on a level that can only happen at that table. And we are fed in a way that no one can really explain. That's why they devoted themselves to the breaking of bread, and why we should too.

I. PRAYER:

A. And the last thing they did was to devote themselves to prayer. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to pray. I'm not talking about running off at the mouth in holy language, anybody can do that. Jesus even warned against it. I'm talking about a spiritual attitude. I'm talking about speaking and listening. I'm talking about spending time with your best friend, your mentor, your shepherd and Savior.

Prayer is simply communication. It's us communicating with God and vice versa. Prayer is voicing our desires and needs to God and taking time to listen to God.

B. The spiritual attitude of prayer is one that is open to the movement of the Spirit. I was sitting at the desk in my the office a month or so ago. I don't remember what I was working on. But all of a sudden I got the urge to pray for a pastor friend of mine. So, I did one of those little throw up prayers. You know, kind of : "Lord, be with Shelly. Amen." and then I went back to work.

Well, it wasn't long before God made it clear that my little prayer wasn't enough. I had this really strong urge to be in deep prayer for Shelly. So, I got up and closed the door and spent about ten minutes in prayer. When I finished, I wrote Shelly a little note, telling her what had happened. I included the time and told her I wasn't sure what was going on in her life but whatever it was I prayed for her and would continue.

A few days later, Shelly called. It seems that at exactly the same time that I felt that urge, she was undergoing a spinal tip for some tests her doctor ordered.

That's the way God works when we spend time in prayer, when we rely on the power and presence of God's Holy Spirit. God uses us and speaks to us.

CONCLUSION:

Now these four attitudes and activities of faith aren't the end all and won't solve all the problems of the world or our youth. They are building blocks. Jesus is the true foundation, the Rock upon whom we can build our lives. The answer for this week's tragedy is the same answer that the Church has always had, an unchanging answer because God is unchanging.

We gather this morning because the tomb is empty. We gather together because God is trustworthy and because God always has the last word. And that Word is always Jesus. We gather because Jesus has called us. His love has touched and changed our lives. His life has given meaning to our lives. He has pulled us out of a life of sin and saved us. And now we are devoted to Him. Devote yourself, like the disciples, to the teachings, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer. Your life will be built upon the strongest foundation possible.

This is the Word of the Lord for this day.

____________________________________________________

Bibliography

1. Dynamic Preaching, April/May/June 1999, disk edition. (King Duncan lists it as From a friend. Taken from the Internet. Source unknown. )

2.

3.

4.

Other References Consulted