Text:  Acts 3:13-26                                                                       U Quasimodogeniti (2^nd Sunday of Easter)

Preaching People to Death:  the Church Growth Secrets of the Apostles

            In the name of Jesus our Lord and our God, dear friends of Christ:  I’ll bet that you get a lot of junk mail at home, don’t you?  There’s no escaping it.  Still, I think that many of you would be surprised about how much of that sort of mail we get at the church.  Some days it seems that everyone is trying to sell the church something.  We routinely get flyers for sound systems, stained glass windows, Sunday School programs, musical instruments, and even catalogs for so-called Christian fashions:  you know, T-shirts and jackets with Bible verses written on them – and my favorite, the “left behind” shorts that, sure enough, have the words “Left Behind” printed neatly on the left behind.  In any case, it happens that a good percentage of the unwelcome mail we get here at the church are invitations for the pastor and a select group of congregational leaders to come to what are touted as “church growth conferences”.  These are usually two or three day events at which a team of experts promise, normally for a hefty fee, to inspire you to capture their vision, and to teach you their secret techniques of getting your church to grow – oh, and as an added bonus, they’ll also teach you how to get the members you already have to contribute more money.

Now, to be perfectly honest, I have to question the qualifications of the dozen or so outfits that go around the country putting on these conferences.  It usually turns out that their so-called experts in church growth are experts because they have proclaimed themselves to be such.  A few of them have some training in theology; but it usually turns out that none of them have churches of their own that they are actually responsible for.  No, they say that their “calling” is to go around and tell everyone else how to do it. And amazingly, what they teach doesn’t have anything at all to do with doctrine or theology.  Whatever denomination is your church, synagogue, mosque, or idol filled temple for that matter, their techniques will work equally well for you. And here I thought that the Holy Spirit had some role to play in building up Christ’s Church.  Apparently not any more.

Having read some of their books and literature, the other thing to note is that their “church growth secrets” are really not so secret.  What these folks all have in common is that they see the church as a business.  They’ve studied demographics, trends, and human behavior, and they know what consumers want.  That’s the formula for success in any business:  give the buyer what he wants – especially here in market driven America where we are programmed from birth to believe that if you want something, well then, you deserve to have it.  So, the real secret to growing your church, they say, is the Burger King approach.  You let everyone “Have it their way”.  You want your church to grow?  All you need to do is play the right kind of music, create the right atmosphere, and affirm each person in whatever and wherever in life he or she happens to be.  Joel Osteen, who is pastor of the largest and fastest growing church in America, has this down pat.  He knows how to make people feel good about themselves.  He doesn’t threaten or challenge anyone.  He tells people that God loves you just the way you are, and that he wants you to be rich, healthy, and successful; and that you can get there if you just think the right kind of positive thoughts about yourself.  Whenever he’s questioned about specific sinful behaviors people are engaged in and asked, “What do you say to people who are doing that?” he just smiles sweetly and says in his southern drawl, “Well, Ah don’t say anythang.  Ah just want to love’m like Jesus.  Ah never want to judge any one.”

In the past few weeks I’ve seen a number of television commercials sponsored by a certain mainline protestant denomination.  They too have it down pat.  In these ads, you see some people sitting in a church.  Then, everyone who is a bit different than the norm, everyone who is not white, heterosexual, and mid to upper class is suddenly ejected, one by one, from the pew they’re sitting in and shot up into the air as if from the pilot’s seat of a wounded military aircraft.  This is meant to represent the way “those other churches are”.  You know: those mean, intolerant churches whose members are so full of hate and anger.  They don’t want you around because you’re not the same as them. Then the scene changes to one of their happy congregations.  Immediately it’s clear that they are the welcoming church. With them you will be included because there is no judging, no discrimination, no standards of conduct, no doctrines, no one telling you what to believe, or how to act.  No one will ever even suggest that you might change anything about your self because you’re okay just the way you are.  There is no such thing as sin or anything evil in you.  It’s those people who have the temerity to disapprove of your past, your lifestyle, your choices, and your beliefs or lack of them, all based (can you believe their ignorance?) on their narrow reading of an ancient and outdated book:  they are the evil ones.  It’s brilliant marketing; and I can only assume that the ads are working for them because they have the right formula for success.

            Well, all I can say is that it’s a terrible pity that St. Peter and the other apostles didn’t know anything about it; otherwise they might have been much more successful as evangelists for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  In this morning’s reading from Acts, we see Peter breaking each and every rule of the church growth experts.  The episode takes place in those first few weeks that followed the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Christian Church on the day of Pentecost.  Recall that after his rising from the dead on Easter, Jesus appeared to his disciples over a period of forty days.  Before ascending into heaven, he commissioned them his apostles to go and make disciples of all peoples by baptizing them for the forgiveness of their sins and teaching them his life-giving words.  But first, he told them, to wait for the coming of the Spirit, who would soon come upon them and enable them to speak boldly and with great power.  This they did, and ten days after the Ascension, the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles with the sound of a mighty, rushing wind and the appearance of flames of fire on their heads.  All this commotion attracted a large crowd.  It fell to Peter to address them and explain what it all meant.  He said that what was happening was the fulfillment of all the prophets had foretold. He told them that Jesus was their long hoped for Messiah, that he had been crucified for the sins of the world, and that God raised him up again from the dead.  He told the people to repent of their sins, be baptized for their forgiveness, and to trust in Jesus as their Savior.  Moved by the Spirit working through his message, some 3000 people came into the Church that day.  And since they started with a group of only about 120 believers, that’s an increase of 26 times.  Now that’s what I call church growth.

            But even 3000 among Jerusalem’s population was a very small percentage.  And most of those 3000 were probably visitors who had come to the city for the feast.  So after the excitement had subsided, the dust had settled, and all those visitors had returned to their homes, the number of Christians in Jerusalem would have remained comparatively small.  Still, they were persistent; and daily the apostles could be found in the Temple courts sharing the Gospel of Jesus with anyone who would listen.  But it seems that the number of people who did listen remained rather small since during this period the religious leaders of the Jews didn’t take much notice of the apostles’ evangelism efforts.

            And that must have been a big let down too.  I mean, after the initial success of his first sermon and the people’s response that resulted in this mass conversion experience on Pentecost, a guy like Peter was probably disappointed that he was reduced to talking to individuals and groups of only two or three at a time – and even then without a lot of success. Most Jewish people wouldn’t have wanted to stop and listen to his story about that flash in the pan prophet Jesus who, while some had hoped might be the Messiah and the one who would restore the glory of Israel, everybody knew now that he was killed by the Romans.  Who wants a dead Messiah?  Not your typical Jewish person, that’s for sure (and if you don’t believe it, try visiting a synagogue sometime and asking them if they’d give you a couple minutes to tell them about your faith in Jesus.  I’ve a hunch they’ll let you know that your input is not welcome). So, in view of the slowing if not completely stalled growth of the Church, it must have been tempting for Peter to change his tactics a bit, to tone down the message, and make it a bit more agreeable, a little more friendly and less threatening to the average Jew in Jerusalem.

            His big opportunity arises one afternoon when he and John are coming into the Temple. Right before they come in through the gate, they witness a common scene:  a man, about forty years old, who has been lame from birth and who has never walked, is being deposited by his family near the entrance.  It’s a good spot to beg for handouts.  Seeing Peter and John watching him with some interest, he figures they are an easy mark, and he asks them for some money.  Instead, Peter reaches out and gives him his hand. He says, “I don’t have any gold or silver, but I’ll give you what I do have.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.”  Helping him to his feet, suddenly the man’s shriveled and useless limbs are filled with strength and agility.  He springs to his feet and begins running, jumping, and dancing about, all the while shouting loudly and praising the name of God. This creates quite a stir and soon a large crowd gathers.  They all recognize the man; they’ve seen him begging by the Temple for decades.  They’re absolutely astonished.  Meanwhile, the man keeps up his happy dance, all the time clinging to Peter and John and thanking them profusely.  It’s clear to everyone that these are the men responsible for the miracle.

            Peter holds up his hand.  A hush falls on the crowd.   He has their undivided attention.  Here’s his chance to present Jesus in a kinder, gentler, more Jewish friendly way.  Now he has an opportunity to give them a Jesus they can relate to on their own terms.

            But look what he does instead.  He blasts them mercilessly.  He shouts at them, “The God of our fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he glorified Jesus – but you killed him!  Even that spiritually blind pagan, Pontius Pilate, could see that he was innocent; but you disowned him and demanded his death.  You betrayed the Righteous One of God and you insisted that a notorious killer be freed.”  Now, it’s clear that what Peter says here would hard for his countrymen to take, but it’s very difficult for us to understand just how deeply insulting and offensive his words would be to Jewish people in particular.  You see, they prided themselves above all people for being the recipients of the law that God himself gave to Moses.  They were the ones blessed with the true light of God’s commands.  The other nations sat in benighted darkness and ignorance.  For Peter to say that a Roman like Pilate acted more righteously and correctly than they did was a cold, hard slap in the face.

            But Peter doesn’t back down after that, or try to soften the impact of his words. Instead he ratchets up the assault even higher.  He goes on to say, “You killed the author and architect of life”.  He accuses them of being guilty of deicide:  the murder of God.  It’s the ultimate act of blasphemy.  It would have been impossible for Peter to say anything that could have wounded them worse.  But then, that is exactly what he is trying to do:  to wound them – to give them with his words a mortal blow to the heart.  His intent is to strip away every last defense they might make for themselves, to rob them of anything they think is good or worthy about themselves.  He wants them to be horrified about what they are and what they’ve done.  He means to preach them to death so that they will see what they truly are before God: evil, rebellious, hard hearted, and spiritually dead in sin.

            The church growth experts would not approve at all of Peter’s scathing attack on his listeners.  They would say that he’s doing it all wrong.  He should make them feel comfortable; let them know how accepted they are.  He should commend them for their admirable qualities and their good intentions to please God in their own way – whatever way they choose.  All that really matters is the good attitude of your heart, right?

            No. It was the good intentions of very religious people that killed Jesus Christ.  That highest crime against God was done by people who thought they were doing God’s will.  The same is true today of anyone who thinks he is pleasing God by his own actions. It’s impossible for sinners to do anything to please God.  Peter was absolutely right in preaching them to death because it’s only when people see the truth that they are hopelessly dead in sin that they can be raised to new life in Christ by trusting in him and his work to please God.  And that’s precisely where Peter goes with his message:  “You killed the author of life”, he tells them to show them they are dead in sin, “but God raised him from the dead.”  Peter continues, “This is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through the prophets.”  What he’s saying is that God used man’s greatest sin to destroy the power of sin, which is death.  By dying at our hands for our sin, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One of God, robbed hell and the grave of their power to keep us their prisoners.  His resurrection from the dead proves that we too will rise to new life in him.

            And now by the preaching of this message that brings death, he continues to put to death what is sinful in us precisely so that we can begin new life in him right now.  That is real church growth.  It’s not the large number of people who join a religious club or association where they feel welcome and accepted; but it’s even one single sinner who comes to see what he is, dies to himself in repentance, and receives the life giving news that Jesus Christ died for sins and rose again.  Or, it’s one person who already believes and trusts in Jesus who is again convicted in his heart of sin, and who dies to self by repenting, and by the power of God’s Holy Spirit places renewed and stronger trust in the Gospel.  Either way, the Church grows.

            It would be nice if I could report that Peter’s sermon on this day resulted in another Pentecost-like mass conversion; but the truth is that it didn’t happen.  Oh, sure, some people probably heard and believed, and if they did, the church did grow; but if so, the Scriptures do not tell us.  Instead, what happened was that the religious leaders saw what was going on, that Peter and John had attracted a large crowd, and they didn’t like it.  They especially didn’t like that Peter was accusing them of having killed Jesus.  So they had the two arrested and put in jail in order to silence them.  The funny thing is that religious leaders do the same thing today:  they want to stifle the powerful message that you by your sins killed the Lord of Life.  They even do it in the name of getting the church to grow.

            Well, in this way they might get something grow; but whatever it is it will not be the Church of Jesus Christ.  That grows only when people pass through death with him and rise in him to new life.  So may God in his mercy grant us the grace to grow, both in numbers and in individual faithfulness, by continuing to preach us by his powerful word through death to new and holy life.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria!