College Heights Baptist Church

The Church – Essential Elements Apostles’ Teaching

The church started with a bang!  An instant congregation of 3000—a mega-church today.  It was not based on the popularity of an eloquent preacher, but on essential elements that were balanced to produce a vibrant community under the power and direction of the Holy Spirit.  They “devoted themselves to” or “continued steadfastly in” these key elements.  The believers were not haphazard, but put consistent effort into their faith in Christ and the community of believers.  They were disciplined and dedicated to Christ and the life of the church.  Four elements are mentioned in Acts 2:42:  the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer. 

In the early church the apostles were the authoritative source of teaching.  They had spent three years with Jesus, hearing him teach, observing his ministry and being trained by him.  They were also immersed in the Old Testament Scriptures, and had had a 40-day post-resurrection crash course on the kingdom of God, integrating the Jewish Scriptures and prophecies with Christ’s life and teaching (Acts 1:3).  They did not yet have the New Testament writings, but the apostles had been taught by Jesus himself the essentials of the Christian faith.

The early believers were eager to learn all they could about Christ and how to live out his life.  They were hungry for the truth of God.  They met in the temple courts, where there would be room for large gatherings as well as in homes where they could discuss the things they were learning.  Every day they were eager to learn more, so they could grow in “the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Today we have the apostles’ teaching in the New Testament.  The gospels recount the life, ministry and teaching of Jesus.  Acts tells the story of the early church and the letters and Revelation fill out the teaching of the apostles.  The apostle Paul says,

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Tim. 3:16-17

  The Scriptures are our ultimate source of truth when it comes to the life and teaching of Christ.  Like the early church we need to be devoted to the Word of God. 

Today we are taught the Scriptures in the public setting through sermons, seminars, and teaching at church, as the early church used the temple courts.  Many churches give opportunity to meet in small groups in homes or at church.  At College Heights small groups are extremely important, as they give opportunity to study the Scriptures together, to ask questions and share personal insights and struggles as we seek to follow Christ more closely.  We can also study the Scriptures on our own.  A personal time of reading, study and reflection on Scripture is essential to spiritual growth.  Unlike the early church we have the Scriptures easily available in print in many translations and languages.  We can access them online, in spoken form via tape, CD or iPod, and even on our smart phones.  We have so many sources of Christian teaching that it is easy to take it for granted and lose our appetite for the Word of God.  Paul says,

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom.” Col. 3:16

  The result is that we do everything with thankfulness in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The goal of devoting ourselves to the apostle’s teaching is not just increased knowledge, but minds and hearts that are transformed by God’s Spirit.

The Church – It’s Foundation

The birthday of the church was at Pentecost.  The church was born in a spectacular manner—a rushing wind, flames of fire and people declaring the wonders of God in many languages.  It caused such a commotion that some thought the believers were drunk.  Peter stands up to say, “No, we are not drunk, this is the work of God, prophesied many years ago by the prophet Joel.”  He goes on to tell the story of Jesus:

“Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him. ... This man was handed over to you by God`s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.  But God raised him from the dead¸ freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep it`s hold on him.”  Acts 2:22-24

Here we have the story of the foundation of the church.  It is planted firmly on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Paul expresses it this way:  “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”  The story of the gospel is that Jesus—the Word, the Creator of the world, the one with the full nature of God—became a human being and lived among us, showing us the full nature of God.  John observes, “We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  (John 1:14)  But Jesus also was willing to suffer the agony of death on a cross to pay the penalty for our sins, and open the way to forgiveness and restoration of our relationship with God.  He rose from the dead to give us the assurance of new life.  So Peter concludes his message, “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

The people’s response to Peter was, “What shall we do?”  He replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of you sins.  And you will receive the Holy Spirit.”  The foundation of the church is the life, death and resurrection of Christ.  However, we need to respond personally to what Christ has done.  We need to repent—to change our mind, do an about face, turn from our own self-centered way—and openly declare our trust in Christ (be baptized).  We personally receive God’s forgiveness and the assurance of eternal life and the energizing power of the Holy Spirit.  We become part of the family of God, “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”

If the church today is going to grow and be healthy, we must maintain the solid core of our faith, our trust in the person and work of Christ in his redeeming work on the cross and in his resurrection from the dead.  This is the basis of our hope of eternal life, of forgiveness, and experiencing the power of the risen Christ.  It is also the foundation of a healthy corporate life for the church, the family of God.

One Thing is Necessary

In Luke 10:38-42 we come upon Jesus entering a village and being welcomed into a home.  This was a common occurrence.  People were fascinated by Jesus and wanted to hear Him speak more of the kingdom of God.  On this occasion, our Lord was entertained by two sisters.  One can only imagine the great honor it must have been for Martha and Mary to have the Son of God resting in their home after what had been a very busy though exciting day.

After telling us that Jesus entered the home, Luke immediately draws his readers’ attention to the posture of these two sisters.  We are told that Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching.  Martha, on the other hand, was distracted with much serving.  The reader then learns that this difference in posture created tension between these two sisters.
 
I believe that all these years later these two postures often create tension within our own hearts and minds as we relate to Jesus.  We know that we are called to sit at the feet of our Master and saturate our lives with His teaching and presence.  However, we also know that our lives must be humbly patterned after this One who came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:20-28).  So then, where exactly did Martha go wrong?

Was Martha’s mistake made in her desire to serve?  No, for the attitude of a servant should be found in each disciple that bears the name of Christ.

Was Martha at fault for taking care of the necessary preparations for this feast?  Surely not!  There were many good things that needed to be done.  In fact, we too should eagerly desire to do all that we can for Christ.  Our hands, feet, mouth, mind, heart, and passion must all be dedicated to the work of God’s kingdom.  All that we are must engage the goal of seeing God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

As I understand it, Martha’s error was that she allowed herself to become distracted by all the preparations.  She forgot Jesus Himself and became solely focused on what she was doing for Him.  Even more, she became focused on what others were not doing for Him.  Martha allowed her service for Christ to take precedence over her communion with Christ.  She had lost sight of proper priorities.  She had failed to understand that our best service always flows out of time spent knowing and enjoying God.

The great preacher, Charles Spurgeon, said it this way in his devotional book Morning and Evening: “Beloved Christian, don’t neglect the external things needed for life, for they have their purpose, but be determined to continually enjoy vital, personal fellowship with Jesus.  Make sure you never neglect sitting at the Saviour’s feet, even if it appears to give others the misleading idea it is service to Him you are neglecting.  The first priority for our soul’s health, the first priority for His glory, and the first priority for our own usefulness is to keep ourselves in continual communion with the Lord Jesus and to see that the vital spirituality of our faith is maintained over and above everything else in the world.”

This is exactly the lesson that Jesus wants each of us to learn.  All these years later we need to hear our Lord speak to us the same words He shared with Martha; “you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.”  Today, may we hear Jesus invite us to re-prioritize our own lives and make time for the one thing that is most necessary.  May we hear our Master lovingly call us to join Mary at His feet.

Pastor Curtis

The Church – My Journey

I love the church in spite of all its warts. It was not always this way. Growing up with a strong Christian heritage, I still had little experience with church. As a missionary kid I spent four years in a boarding school in China, where church services were a blend of Anglican, Baptist and Brethren in style.  After returning to Canada our family lived on a Bible College campus where I experienced great preaching and wonderful music, but very little of the dynamics of church life. During university days I was active in music, Bible teaching and youth ministry in three different churches, but I experienced little of community.  When my wife and I moved to Quadra Island on the BC coast, our “church” was in a camp setting. I took my turns in preaching and we assisted with Sunday school, music and youth ministry. During the summer months, church services were overrun with about 50+ campers, and it was hard to feel you had been in church. Island families who attended services really got lost in the shuffle during the summer as the camp staff was just too busy.

Out of this somewhat mixed background, God began to give me longing for the kind of church community I saw in the New Testament. A number of us felt the need for a community of believers free from the “institutional” ties of camp. I had often said that I would never be a pastor—something about the church scared me. Yet God led us into establishing a church on the island, and I was pastor for 20 years.

Two early influences nurtured a vision of the church. In The Firs School of Ministry, an annual pastors’ conference, leaders like Larry Richards and Ray Stedman gave us instruction in principles of the New Testament church. In the early ‘80’s I joined my cousins, Allen & Paul Thompson of World Team, in leading a conference on the nature of the church in Sacramento, California. We were joined by a group of blacks from Watts county, whose fervour for the Lord was life-changing—to worship with them you had to be physically fit. For more than a week we talked about and experienced the dynamics of the church in action—teaching, fellowship, worship and prayer. Gradually a vision emerged of what the church was meant to be as it is described in Acts 2. The vision of a dynamic church has motivated me for 35 years.

When I first came to College Heights my first sermon was on Acts 2:42 – 47. When I came back on staff last August my first sermon was on the same text. I do not have all the answers for dynamic church life, but I think I have learned some important principles over the years. I will share some of these over the next few weeks. Stay tuned.

Pastor Alan

What’s On Your Mind?

Yesterday afternoon my wife and I had a rare experience for us.  We were actually alone for a whole hour without our children!  Both our kids had arranged play dates with their friends after school.  We used the time to catch up on work around the house like laundry, unloading the dishwasher, and vacuuming.  I know…not very exciting, is it?

As tempting as it may have been to not pick up our kids up for a day or two, we eventually made our way out of the warm house and into the plummeting temperatures of Prince George.  During our half hour drive to pick up Hope I had the privilege of listening as Sue shared about her ongoing personal study of the Psalms.  We went on to discuss how each of us had felt God speaking into our lives.  Specifically, my wife shared with me about how the Lord was teaching her the importance of perspective and proper thinking from Psalm 3; which is a song written by king David that was inspired by the events of II Samuel 15-18.

The Psalm begins with David crying out to the Lord about his troubles.  His focus is clearly fixed upon his many foes who taunt him with the words, “God will not deliver you this time, David!”  It seems in these first verses that the slayer of giants is struggling to believe he’ll escape once more.  His mind is consumed with the jeers and sneers of those who oppose him. 

Where are your eyes fixed today?  What troubles or trials have captivated your attention?  What taunts weaken your own spirit as they echo in your heart?  What weighs heavily upon your mind?

The beauty and simplicity of Psalm 3 is found in its gentle call to take our eyes off of our various troubles and fix them instead upon the sovereign One who is enthroned over and above all the circumstances of our lives.  David reminds us to make God our shield and defense by trusting in Him at all times.  The king even goes so far as to say that though he is surrounded by an encampment of tens of thousands of hostile soldiers he is able to lay his head down to sleep at night and find rest.
 
Isn’t that what we want all these years later?  Rest.  Peace.  Comfort.  Strength.  Courage under fire.  Calm in the midst of storm.  Room to breathe.  Someone to quiet the taunting of our own adversary.

Where are your eyes fixed today?  What’s on your mind?  I pray that you would follow the example of king David and make God your shield.  Go to Him in prayer with your troubles knowing that He both listens and answers.  And, may the declaration of your own mouth be, “Salvation belongs to the LORD!”

Pastor Curtis