We also reject the idea that people are baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ’s church. The Holy Spirit, as an agent, has never baptized anyone, ever. None of these twelve disciples knew anything about this subject at this time, and yet they were in the Lord’s church. Later Christ Jesus immersed His first Church with the Holy Spirit, but that is entirely different. On the other hand, believers are commanded to be baptized in water as a picture of their relationship to the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we believe that if a person refuses to be baptized, then they shouldn’t be permitted into the membership of one of the Lord’s churches. We also believe that the first church was Baptistic in its doctrine. It wasn’t called a “Baptist church,” because that distinction wasn’t necessary since there wasn’t any competition. But it could have been called a “Baptist church.”
The members of Jesus’ church, including the men who became the Apostles, were basically like us. Sure there some differences between us: For example they were Jews, living in a less technological society. Their food didn’t come out of micro-waves and airplanes didn’t scar skies with their vapor trails. But they were doctrinally the same; emotionally the same; spiritually the same and humanly the same. They were saved by grace through faith in exactly the same way that people are saved today. They were no less dependent upon the Holy Spirit than servants of God are today. And although they didn’t at first have sixty-six books in heir Bibles, they soon had the same Bible that we have. That church also had some of the same problems that churches have in the twenty-first century. There were hypocrites in that church, and they even had a lost church member. They had financial problems, opposition from their neighbors and lots of curious onlookers. They had false teachers, doubters and wolves in sheep’s clothing, just as churches can have today. Then they had the three problems described here in our text.
Let’s try to take a light-hearted look at some serious problems.
The Church in Jerusalem had some “LET JOE DO IT” problems.
As the little fishing boat crossed Sea Galilee, one of disciples began looking for their lunch, but all he could find was one small loaf. Apparently he whispered to one other church members, “Where is the food?” He then asked someone else, and he in turn asked another, but there wasn’t any bread in the boat that night.
How is it possible that making a journey like that there was no food? Well, they might not have realized that they would crossing the sea that evening. They might have been planning on sleeping in their own beds and snacking on left-over pizza. Perhaps it was a spur of moment decision on the part of their Pastor to go to Dalmanutha in the east. Do you think that words “spur moment” really fit into the life of Lord Jesus? They are almost as foreign to Him as words “doubt,” “personal sin” or “helpless.” I can’t say for sure, but probably everyone knew that this little journey was coming up.
So then, how was it that there wasn’t any food in the boat? They knew that once evening came, those big burly fishermen would be hungry. They all knew that neither God, nor Satan, had yet invented McDonalds, Burger King or Taco Bell. It was unlikely that the boat would be swamped with flying fish, tossed in by the Lord. And God had stopped giving Israel manna many hundreds of years earlier. What happened to the baskets of bread and fish that were left over from the four thousand? They were long gone. Probably they gave it to some of the poor folk who had no bread at home. So why didn’t they have any bread in the boat? Probably because everybody was expecting everyone else to bring it.
This is still the way that things are today in the average Baptist Church. You see, most people never grow up in certain areas of their lives. Some never learn to eat their vegetables; remaining babies all their lives. And some never learn the responsibility of cleaning up after themselves. Some people never learn to do anything without being told to do that specific thing. A case in point is the light in the men’s bathroom. For at least a week, maybe longer, both bulbs have been burned out. Why hasn’t anyone taken the initiative to replace them? Because it obviously must be someone else’s job – no one knows know exactly who – but someone else. If the Lord doesn’t come and say, “Hey you, Simon Peter, social security number 589-74-3822, I want you to personally give my Gospel to man living at 104 Apple Tree Road, in Post Falls,” then it doesn’t get done.
A whole lot of Christians come to Word God as though it was buffet meal. “Let’s see, I think I’ll have little bit this green stuff; a couple these and one of those.” I have noticed that whenever I go to a buffet restaurant, my plate gets covered with brown food. Somehow I generally miss the green and white stuff. “Oh Lord, did you say that gospel should be given that man; well, let me pray about it. Go ye into all the world, Lord? I’d have give up my cable TV to support missions. Love my neighbor? Lord, you obviously don’t know my neighbor; even his dog hates him.” Smorgasbord Bible study is one of the plagues among twenty-first century Baptists.
And so is the simple idea of “leaving it to Joe.” As someone said, 90% of the work of the Lord is done by 10% of those who claim to be Christians. That is a generalized statement which is not particularly true of Calvary Independent Baptist Church. No, here we have 25% of our people doing 75% of the work. As a general example, Christians want to see their churches grow. But there are exceptions – Christians who feel uncomfortable when strangers are in their midst. Most Christians want to see their churches grow, but that requires an army of people who will work, and invite and evangelize. In every church I’ve been in most people think that “Joe will do it.” Most people would like to have a good musical service before the sermon. That way if the message is rotten, at least something will redeem the time they’ve spent at church. Oh, but Andrew and Mary will have to be the instrumentalists and singers – not me. Every church ought to have a teaching ministry, but in each case somebody else will have to bring and break the bread of life. Let Andrew and Mary encourage that poor widow. Somebody else can paint the church-house; mow the weeds and sweep the halls.
The average Christian going to be miserable when he or she stands at the Judgment Seat. “And what have you been doing to serve and glorify Me for the last twenty years?” “Well Sir, I opened the door so the younger folk could work and get all the glory. I put $10 a week in offering so that the pastor wouldn’t have get real job. I taught somebody else how pack bread so it wouldn’t get wet crossing the Sea of Galilee.”
The average task in average Baptist church is everybody’s responsibility. As a result nobody does it. “Andrew, didn’t you bring any bread this trip?”
A second problem illustrated here is the “WHAT, WHO ME?” problem.
Maybe we could also tie in “The last shall be first” confusion. The pastor of the First Baptist Church of Galilee got up to teach Sunday School. As He spoke everyone heard words, but they were in the wind-tunnel of their own thoughts. Jesus had a perfectly good sermon on the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. But by that time the disciples were so wrapped up in their own stomachs, all they could see was leavened bread-bread. “Oh, no, Jesus is chewing us out because we didn’t bring any food to this picnic.” They heard the words but paid no attention to their meaning. As is common among us all, the disciples were placing secular things above the spiritual things. That’s why I call it the “last shall be first” problem.
How many times has the pastor wanted to teach deep, but his hearers wanted to listen shallow? Jesus said, “Except ye eat my flesh and drink my blood, ye have no life in you.” And the people said, “Eeuuchh, that’s disgusting.” Jesus said, “Destroy this Temple and in three days I will built it again.” And the people said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple and you’ll rebuild in three days?” The preacher says, “Let’s build a church to the glory of Lord,” and the members get out their hammers. He says, “Let’s really pray this week,” and so his people go home praying, “Now I lay me down to sleep…” He says, “Surrender unto the Lord,” and the Christians ask if 60% surrender will be enough.
Why can’t we “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness?” Because the average church member is more carnal than spiritual. Instead of thinking of golden streets and gates of pearl, he thinks of Wall Street and the Federal Reserve. Instead of Heavenly manna, he thinks of what sort of food will be at the pot luck.
And when the sermon is preached, even by the Lord Jesus Himself, he thinks – “Who me?” “I know that we don’t have any bread, Lord, but it must be Judas’ fault. I brought the bread the last time; why does it always have to be me?” “Lord, maybe it’s even your fault; if you had just reminded me, I would have baked it myself. Or I would have had my wife bake it”
The average sermon is always meant for somebody else, never me. The preacher studies and prepares for six hours, but he does so for other people. And he delivers a rousing message on the importance of personal Bible study. “Well, preacher, I’m a working man; I don’t have time; that message is for the retiree.” Then the pastor preaches a message on tithing. “Well, preacher, I’m a retiree on fixed income; preach that to the working man.” Every preacher needs a spiritual Nathan to say to others, “Thou art the man.” The warning about the leaven of the Pharisees was meant for all the disciples, but no body got the point.
A third problem here is the old “HAS IT COME TO THAT” dilemma.
You’ve probably heard the old story about the wife of the sick deacon. The doctors had made their diagnosis and the medicines had been prescribed. It looked like the old man was going to be just fine. But then the preacher came in and said, “Now, we’ll just have to trust the Lord.” Immediately the man’s wife shrieked, “Oh no, oh no; has it come to that?” Why is it that trust in God is only for when everything else has failed?
Jesus rebuked the disciples for not being capable of trusting Him. “O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?” “Faith in God – trust the Lord – has it come to that? Oh, no, don’t we have any alternative?”
Faith in the Lord is the place to begin every day. It’s not just the place to start the Christian life – salvation. It is how the Christian life is lived. Lack of trust is why we don’t pray as we ought to pray. It’s why our lives are so secular and shallow. It’s why we have so little of God’s blessing in our lives. It’s why we are so fearful and sometimes even so prideful. Yes, God will take care of you. And God will take care of His church, if we’d just believe Him and give Him room, while we do the work which He has commanded of us.
“Let Joe do it; what?” “Who me?” and “Has it come to that?” We all have problems in these areas, including me.