THE DYNAMICS OF CHRISTIAN FAITH

     Something explosive happened in Jerusalem one day. Oh, I'm not
talking about some recent bombings by terrorists that have taken the
lives of many people. I am talking about something more earth-shaking
and far-reaching that all that. It happened almost two thousand years
ago and the results continue to be felt around the world. It was the
beginning of what we call Christianity -- the beginning of the Lord's
church. The first few chapters of the book of Acts in the Bible
describe that beginning.
     In Acts chapter 2, we learn that three thousand Jews who, less
than two months earlier, had demanded of Pilate that he crucify Jesus
Christ; three thousand of them, became believers in Christ Jesus and
were baptized in Him name for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:28-
41). To do what they did meant alienation from their families, from
the entire Jewish community, but they did it anyway. It meant
rejection in the business community, the market place and the job
market, but they did it anyway. It meant persecution, imprisonment for
some and death for others, but they did it anyway.
     The Lord kept on adding them to His church, day after day, those
who were being saved as Acts 2:47 informs us. In the fourth chapter
the men had come to number five thousand. By the fifth chapter, the
number had increased (verse 14). In the sixth chapter, the number had
multiplied (verse 1) and multiplied exceedingly (verse 7). And on and
on the story goes, chapter after chapter, the story of the greatest
and fasting growing movement in history "was turning the world upside
down" (Acts 17:6). By the turn of the first century, Christianity
numbered more than a million.
     What made it such a force? Why did it spread so quickly from
Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and then to the uttermost parts of
the world? What gave it is drive, the power to override very, very
intense persecution and opposition so that in only one generation it
had taken its message to "every creature which is under heaven," so
states the apostle Paul in Colossians 1:23?
     Certainly, the dynamics of the new church was not in the people
Jesus chose to tell the world about Him. Oh, No, for you see the
apostle were not chosen from the great religious, or educational, or
cultural leaders of the world. Jesus did not go to Alexandria, or
Corinth, or Athens, or Rome, or even to Jerusalem to fine them. He
didn't to to the school of Gamaliel and choose men with degrees in
Jewish theology. He did not go to the Sanhedrin for such. He didn't
seek the rich and the powerful of His day. As a matter of fact it is
written in 1 Corinthians 1:26, "that not many wise men after the
flesh, not many mighty, not many noble" answered His invitation.
     Rather, He went out by the sea and found some lowly fishermen to
be the spokesmen for His cause (Matthew 4:18-20). He found a despised
tax collector and enlisted him. In Acts 4:13, they were called
"unlearned and ignorant" men.
     The powerful influence on Christianity in the first century was
not in its flexibility; its broadminded, unbiased ways of adapting to
the cultural norms of the society into which it went. It was not in
its flexibility to allow for the greatest measure of personal freedom
in faith and morals. It was not just another religion in the midst of
so many.
     We know, too, that the strength of the new church was not in its
costly and magnificent temples, cathedrals, and halls of worship. The
church of which we read in the New Testament was built of "living
stone," people. It was (and is) "a spiritual house" (1 Peter 2:5).
     Well, the power of New Testament Christianity must have been in
its exciting and entertaining worship. Great multitudes must have come
to hear Jesus and Paul and Peter and Stephen and others of them
because of their fantastic oratorical skills. Their lectures on
current social and political issues must have kept their audiences on
the edge of their seats. Multitudes must have come as they did to be
amused by the humor, the popular music, and drama, and special
performances of talented entertainers of their day.
     Well, I think we have gone far enough with this. You get the
idea. The things the wise among us are saying the church must do in
order to survive over into the twenty-first century are totally absent
-- unknown -- foreign to the growth and strength of the church under
the inspired leadership of the apostles. But the Bible has an
advantage over the worldly wise. It was written, not by some of them,
but by the architect and builder of the church Himself.
     Then, wherein lies the mighty strength of the church of Christ?
Paul states, "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish
foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power (the
dynamite) of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18).
     You see, my listening audience, to saved people, the very thing
the perishing world calls foolishness is the dynamic of the church.
The passage continues: "For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom
of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the
prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer
of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?"
Look, the message here is that God has defied the wisdom of the wise
and proved it to be foolishness. The dynamic of Christ's church is
Jesus Christ and Him crucified, buried, and resurrected, and when the
church leaves that, it become feeble and frail -- powerless. Without
Jesus Christ, it matters not about the showiness, the glitter and the
outward results. Without Jesus Christ, the church and its message
becomes only trivial. Sooner or later honest hearts within and without
view it as only trivial. Trivialities light no fires. They fill no
soul with awe. They stir no one to obey Christ. They ready no soldier
to battle. They inspire no one to victory. Trivialities command no
allegiance or dedication of faithfulness.
     Paul continues in 1 Corinthians, "For after that in the wisdom of
God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews
require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ
crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks
foolishness; but to them which are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God."
     There you have it spelled out clearly for all times for all to
see.  Jesus Christ crucified, buried, and raised from the dead is the
dynamic of Christianity. First of all, His crucifixion is a bold
declaration of the presence of sin, the universality of sin, the
individuality of sin, the damning nature of sin, and man's salvation
from sin in Him. The death of Christ is nothing more than another
shameful spectacle of inhumanity to man -- unless He died for our sins
Yet, this is was Paul stated happened (1 Corinthians 15:3); unless He
"gave his life a ransom for all" of us (1 Timothy 2:6); unless He bore
"our sins in his own body on the tree that we, being dead to sins,
should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes we were healed" (1
Peter 2:24). What the church needs today to recapture some of that
dynamic power is a genuine conviction about His death, His burial, and
His resurrection. When the apostle Peter and John were charged to
preach no more about the resurrection in Jerusalem, they said, "We
cannot help but preach what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).
Beating them, putting them in jail, would not stop them of telling
about the crucified Lord.
     The twentieth century church needs a rebirth of these convictions
to restore the dynamics of Christ to its work and worship. Why search
in the wisdom of men for the keys to church growth? Listen to the
inspired apostle: "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to
confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to
confound the things which are mighty; and the base things of the
world, and the things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and
things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no
flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption; that, according as it is written, He
that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."  My, oh, My, How we need
those words today.
     Yes, the dynamic of Christianity, the Lord's church, is in Him,
not men. Not with all the flitzy trimmings -- drama, special music,
dancing in the aisles, waving of the hands, hand-clapping and foot-
stomping, shouting, and laughing -- and all that modern church are
bringing into their worship, can we ever substitute for the dynamic
power of the early church which focused on Jesus Christ and Him
crucified, buried, and raised the third day.  When men seek to set
aside the atoning work of Jesus at Calvary with easy ways of
salvation, with substitute plans, they short-circuit the simple story
of the Cross. Jesus charged His disciples to "preach the gospel to
every creature," saying, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15-16).
They did just exactly that, and people were baptized into Jesus
Christ." They were "baptized into his death" where He shed His saving
blood, "that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory
of the Father, even so they also were raised to walk in newness of
life" (Romans 6:3-4).
     My friend, have you done this?  Do you believe that Jesus Christ
is the son of God? You must, you know. (Hebrews 11:6). You must repent
of your sins (Acts 17:30). You must be baptized in Christ (Galatians
3:26, 27). How urgent it is that each one in this radio audience obey
the commandments of our Lord and Savior.

                                From Material by Mack Lyons
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