BUILDING A CHURCH THROUGH AGENDA HARMONY

By Pastor Michael Prince

Acts 1:8-14 (NIV) “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”

The rest of the world must surely marvel at the nature of religion in America. For instance, you may have read in the newspapers sometime back about the newly formed Positive Impact Church in South Centre, Pa. According to Associated Press reports this church advertised a raffle. Two thousand people signed up. Apparently they didn't read the fine print. They had to attend Sunday services to be eligible to win the prize of $1,000. Only about 30 showed up. "Where are all the people?" asked the minister, George Lane, after an hour of religious songs and a humor-filled sermon in a school cafeteria. "It's kind of embarrassing." Lane said he was hoping to get about $1,000 in contributions. He got about $100.

A woman who was present won the $1,000 but told Lane to keep the money for his ministry. Despite the low turnout, Lane said he's going to keep trying to attract worshipers. He says his next drawing will be for a $1,100 shopping spree.

That may be his way to build the church, but its not my interpretation of scripture, Jesus’ plan. So how are we to build His church? After a careful study of the book of Acts we learn from the early church that there are a number of outstanding characteristics that we could follow.

One of them is that they clearly had a God-given, shared purpose or “agenda harmony.” What was that agenda? They obeyed their Master’s instruction (Acts 1:8) “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." In compliance and being consumed by the empowering Holy Spirit, Christ’s agenda became

Their agenda.

When God’s people share His passion for souls nothing else matters. They are harmonized around One-Purpose, to make disciples. The amazing unity in their fellowship directed toward this One-purpose literally influenced a culture for Jesus Christ.

God wants to do it again in you. Are you available? Are you full of the Holy Spirit. Join the Hillcrest family in agenda harmony. Together we will make a difference for Jesus.