A Dependent Church – Acts 4:23-35 (pt. 1)
There are a lot of things that a church can be known for.
- “all are welcome”
- “a fellowship of encouragement”
- “we get the bible right”
All of these are important in the life of the church, but none of them are a complete picture of what a church should be. If I could pick one word to describe what the chuch should be I think it would be the word dependent. This might be surprising…
In our society we hear a lot about independence. Whether it is political or individual our culture highly values independence. And for good reason. There are a lot of good things to be said about independence. The problem is that not only do we like independence, but we also hate the idea of being dependent. It is a state that one dictionary defines as “the state of relying on or needing someone or something for aid support, or the like….” This makes us uncomfortable.
Despite our discomfort with the concept, the fact remains that ultimately we are all dependents of God. We can’t get around it, and we shouldn’t try. We need to cultivate a heart attitude that is consistent with the fact that we depend upon God for everything. I would define dependence upon God as a heart attitude that trusts God more than self. Or to put it another way, you look to God as a source of help in all circumstances. If it helps, a close synonym to dependence upon God is trust in God.
We need to have the attitude communicated in Psalm 46:1: “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” This is what I would like for our church to be known for. We don’t need a big sign, we simply need to practically live out this heart attitude. But what does it look like practically for a church to be a dependent church.
Acts 4:23-35 gives us a glimpse at what dependence looks like by showing us an example of a dependent church. In this passage Luke records for us how the early church dealt with persecution from the religious establishment; they depended upon God. Thus, in this passage we see the need for the church to depend upon God no matter what the situation might be. Specifically, this passage reveals 7 traits of a dependent church.
I. A Dependent Church is committed to one another (v. 23)
The first trait of a dependent church that we see in this passage is found in v. 23. Here we see that a dependent church is committed to one another.
As you read this verse note the context of persecution in this passage. In chpt 3 Peter healed a man and started preaching about Jesus. In 4:1-3 – the religious leaders arrested Peter & John in order to figure out how to quiet them. When faced with threats Peter & John refused to obey them instead of God (4:19). Ultimately the Sanhedrin had to release them because of public opinion, but soon public opinion would change. This was a serious threat to the early church. Remember, these were the same men who has orchestrated the trial and crucifixion of Christ
In the wake of all this what would you have done after being threatened by the religious mafia Where would you go? They didn’t have a Starbucks… Or a Wawa
They weren’t about to go back into hiding…. So, They went to church. In the Greek text Luke literally say that they went “to their own.” This is instructive for us because it reveals an attitude of dependence upon God and the resources (or ordinary means of grace) that he has provided us with. God has given us a number of resources (or ordinary means of grace) to help us in our walk. The local church is one of those resources. Peter and John recognized that, and really when they ran to the church in their time of crisis they were simply depending upon God.
Unfortunately there seems to be a stark contrast between the dependent attitude of these men, and the casual attitude that people have toward church today.
It seems like it is common for people to take a week off of church because it is has been a hard week. We don’t want to be legalistic about church attendance, but at the same time this would have been a foreign idea to Peter and John. When the going got tough, really tough, they surrounded themselves with the people of God. When we have an attitude of dependence we will recognize that we need God and the resources that He has provided to sustain us. This includes the church.
In other words, if you truly have a dependent attitude then you will be committed to the local church. A dependent Christian does not have the mistaken idea that they can go it alone. To say that you are dependent on God and not be committed to the local church is like a child saying he’s dependent upon his parent but starves to death because he won’t eat their food. A couple of other helpful thoughts:
- Hebrews 10:23-25 makes this same connection between dependence and church attendance
- Josh Harris: “The church is earth’s single best place–God’s specially designed place–to start over, to grow and to change for the glory of God.” (Stop Dating the Church, 21)
The fact that Peter and John went straight to the people of God teaches us that a dependent church is committed to one another.
II. A Dependent Church Prays. (v. 24a)
As you process the weight of this situation I want you to notice what the first reaction of the early church was. Their first response was prayer! Luke tells us that “when they heard this they lifted their voices to God with one accord….” This phrase “with one accord” translates one word in the original Greek (ὁμοθυμαδόν). This word is often translated “one mind” or “one purpose.” This is a word that occurs frequently in the book of Acts, where it is used to describe the commonality of the early church (cf. 1:14, 2:46, 5:12, 7:57). Here this word is used to speak of the unanimity of the people to turn to God in prayer. We are not sure exactly what this looked like. However, it is very unlikely that all the people recited this prayer at the same time. For one, this prayer is not well-fit for a responsive reading. Additionally, responsive reading were not used in the church at this early a time. So more than likely all the people realized that they needed to pray, and so one of the leaders of the church led the group in prayer. One person prayed while the others listened and affirmed. Amongst this church there was no question what the first response should be, everyone knew that they needed to turn to God in prayer. One translation even says that “they raised their voices to God unanimously.” (HCSB) They recognized that God was the ultimate source of help, and they turned to him in prayer.
As we look at how the church responded to their circumstances in Acts 4 it is clear that a dependent church prays. In fact, prayer is a key trait of dependence. When we pray we are recognizing that God is the one that we are depending upon, and as we pray that dependence will grow even more. As E.M. Bounds put it,
Trust grows nowhere so readily and richly as in the prayer-chamber. Its unfolding and development are rapid and wholesome when they are regularly and well kept. When these engagements are hearty and full and free, trust flourishes exceedingly. The eye and presence of God give vigorous life to trust, just as the eye and the presence of the sun make fruit and flower to grow, and all things glad and bright with fuller life.[1]
Prayer is a good litmus test for your own attitude of dependency upon God. As Calvin described it, prayer is simply a Christian casting his “worries bit by bit on God.” We often struggle with prayer because we are depending upon something other than God to resolve whatever situation we might be in. But when we are depending upon God we will look to Him in prayer before we look anywhere else.
We often struggle with consistency in prayer simply because in our hearts we are depending upon something other than God. We sometimes have the sinfully rebellious attitude that we would rather “get something done” than pray. This is not dependence upon God. This is sinful pride that makes us think we can accomplish something on our own. This is why it is so important that we constantly have an attitude of prayer, as Paul put it “pray without ceasing.” Both individually, and as a whole, if we are going to be dependent then we must pray.
III. A Dependent Church Finds Comfort in the Sovereignty of God (vv. 24b-28)
as we look at the content of the church’s prayer we are going to see that the second trait of a dependent church is that a dependent church finds comfort in the Sovereignty of God. As John Stott put it, “before the people came to any petition, they filled their minds with thoughts of the divine sovereignty.”[1] We see this in vv. 24b-28. Here we see that these believers began their prayer by turning their attention to the sovereign nature of God. Kistemaker has pointed out that “The prayer that Luke records is typically Jewish and is molded after the petition Hezekiah uttered when the Assyrian army surrounded Jerusalem (Isa 37:16-20).”[2]
The very name that they chose to refer to God in this prayer highlights His sovereignty. They did not use any of the usual titles for God that are found in the NT. Instead they used a unique title for God that is found only 6 times in the NT. The title is δεσπότης, and it can be translated as Sovereign Lord, or Master. It probably sounds familiar to you since this is where the English word despot come from. However, the Greek word does not imply a despotic, tyrannical ruler. It simply highlights God’s control, and authority. By using this title they made it clear that God was in control of their specific situation. Furthermore, they recognized that ultimately they would have to answer to their Sovereign Lord, not to the Sanhedrin.
