The 1st Refocus

I want to invite you to read Act 15.  In this chapter we see the first Century Church calling a council together for what I argue can be called its, “1^st Refocus.”  That did not take long, did it? The Church has barely been born and its leaders already realize it is time to change emphasis or direction. 

You see, some in the church were saying that unless you did everything a good Jew did, you could not be a Follower of Jesus.  This was a pivotal point in our history.  Would the church hang on to all the Jewish traditions that had meant so much to God’s people for centuries?  After all, these traditions and rituals had served great purpose in their covenant with God.  Circumcision was an outward mark of one’s true commitment to God.  Temple sacrifices was a response of obedience and worship of God.  What about all the other Temple worship styles, dress codes and customs?  How could you possibly follow Jesus and simply toss hundreds of years, worth of God-centered tradition out the window?  “No!” a strong group in the Church shouted, “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1). 

Thankfully, Paul and Barnabas, stood up and spoke out!  Actually, Acts 15 says, “They came in sharp dispute with them.”  Paul and Barnabas would not sit by and let people undo what Jesus had already done.  Paul and Barnabas reminded them that Jesus Christ was sent by God to bring about a new covenant.  It did not mean the Old Covenant did not serve a purpose.  Without the Old the people and the world would not have been prepared to receive the new.  

So, the council met.  They prayed.  They discussed (which is and our nice Christian way of saying that they got in each other’s red faces and pounded their fists on the table).  But in the end they came to this decision:  We will let go of the Jewish traditions and customs of the Old Covenant and abide by their moral guidelines.  In other words, they said you don’t have to act and look like a good Jew to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus. 

How did they reach this point of unity so the 1^st Refocus could occur?  The answer is revealed in Acts 15: 28, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…” 

On Sunday night during our Annual Church Meeting (If you missed it you will be able to watch it via video this week), it was like I was transported back to the early church.  As you allowed me to share openly and honestly about the finances, the staff and what we are looking forward to in the months to come, I was encouraged not only by your presence but by your openness. 

Then, as you have done more than once already, you blew me away as you got in small groups to answer this question:  What are the top three ministries we offer that we believe would best help a new believer to grow in their faith?  We said to name three because presently we have over 50 ministries, which we broke down into 9 sub-categories.  This means the unspoken message we give a new believer right now is that in order to be saved you have to give 9 hours a week here to CFNAZ.  That is unrealistic for the rest of us, but especially for a new believer.  But in unity, you showed that “it seemed good to us and the Holy Spirit” to name the following to be what you want the Refocus Team to consider as our primary focus as we move forward: 1) Corporate Worship, 2) Connection Groups and 3) Community Outreach and Sunday School.  This means it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to begin to release the other ministries that have been so valid in the days past and have in fact prepared us for ministry today.  But to hold onto the other 6 ministry categories, would be to lose sight of the kind of change it will take to effectively help new believers and all of us truly lose our lives for Christ so that we can truly live.

Therefore, our Refocus team will take what seemed good to you and the Spirit and let that guide our next discussion.  Thank you so much for not letting old customs and traditions and styles not get in the way of the God who says “He is making all things new!”

Once again, I am so proud of your heart, greatly respect your courage and value your faith!