{"id":12164,"date":"2016-07-30T14:16:43","date_gmt":"2016-07-30T18:16:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=12164"},"modified":"2016-10-01T15:21:26","modified_gmt":"2016-10-01T19:21:26","slug":"cheers-a-place-where-everybody-knows-your-name-72416","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=12164","title":{"rendered":"Cheers: A Place Where Everybody Knows Your Name (7\/24\/16)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cheers- “A Place Where Everybody Knows Your Name.”\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Acts-\u00a0 “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common.”\u00a0 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

How can we splice these two together?\u00a0 Not to make The Church like a bar, but to make the Church a place where everybody knows your name… because Christ knows their name and they know Jesus’ Name.\u00a0 Pastor Jim used this 1980s sitcom to illustrate that the relationship we have with eachother is welcoming and powerful when it flows out of the relationship we have with Jesus Christ.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The following recording is from the 9:30 service.\u00a0 Click on the play button, then scroll down to follow along…<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Our scripture reading was from Acts 2:40-47.\u00a0 Open the below drop down box to follow along.\u00a0 The New King James Version is shown below…<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Acts 2:41-47<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.<\/p>\n

42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.<\/p>\n

43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.<\/p>\n

44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,<\/p>\n

45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.<\/p>\n

46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,<\/p>\n

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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A Place Where Everybody Knows Your Name…<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Cheers_cast_1991<\/p>\n

One of the most beloved comedy TV shows was “Cheers.” It was a lovable comedy where America tuned in every Thursday night to follow the life of Sam Malone, Diane Chambers, Norm Peterson, Cliff Claven, Coach, Carla Tortelli, Woody Harrelson, Fraser Crane and Lilith, and Rebecca Howe. Each week the viewers saw this tight group of friends caring for each other, laughing with each other, holding each other accountable, sharing good times and sad times with each other.<\/p>\n

AT THE END of each episode, regardless of what happened, they all had each others back.\u00a0 The theme song of that show says, “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. And they’re always glad you came.”<\/p>\n

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LET ME SAY CLEARLY: I do not condone drinking of alcoholic beverages, nor am I encouraging going to bar to learn Biblical truths. The Bible is clear of the sinfulness of drunkenness.<\/span><\/div><\/div>
\nIf we are able to look beyond the bar environment, we see the story of friends who truly care for each other. A place where first-time guests want to return. A place where people came in to celebrate or not feeling good, but when they left they were changed and feeling better about life.
\nDespite the teasing and the one-liners bantered about by the cast, we sense a genuine close-knit group of friends who truly care for each other and who always supported each other. And this unity, this closeness, was witnessed by all.<\/p>\n

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A Place Where they Knew THE Name!<\/span><\/h3>\n

Let’s leave the Boston hang-out of the 1980’s, and visit a real place in Israel during the 1st century…
\nThe book of Acts is a retelling of the story of Christian communities during the first weeks and months following Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. Acts was written by Luke (a Greek physician), and it was written as a “second volume” to the Gospel of Luke.\u00a0 If you want to learn the foundations of our faith, try reading the Gospel of Luke and continuing right through the book of Acts.\u00a0 Your Bible might entitle this book “The Acts of the Apostles”, but to be clear, the Holy Spirit is the main force at work in these pages!<\/p>\n

What were some of the characteristics of that Church? For one thing, the early Christians were a minority, as far as religion was concerned.\u00a0\u00a0 They considered themselves to be Jews, not a distinct religion, but the continuation of God’s revelation to humankind through the Hebrew people.<\/p>\n

Is there something we can learn today from our ancient ancestors in the faith? Can the Christian Church be a place where we can salute each other with a loving, \u201cCHEERS,\u201d and be a place where everybody knows your name? MORE THAN THAT, can the Christian Church return to its roots so that the Church may be restored to a place where everyone knows Jesus\u2019 name!
\nLet\u2019s look at some of the distinguishable characteristics highlighted by Acts 2.\u00a0 Take another look at verse 42:<\/p>\n

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And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.<\/span> <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Cheers was a place where everybody knew your name…
\nThe early church was a place where ___\u00a0 …<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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…They continued in the Apostles’ Doctrine<\/span><\/h4>\n

The word “Doctrine” sounds like a bunch of stuffy rules.\u00a0 But this isn’t was is being implied here.\u00a0 The Greek word “Doctrine” is probably better understood as \u201cteaching\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Here’s another definition of a familiar word… A “disciple” is a follower of Jesus,\u00a0 but an “apostle” is someone who actually saw Jesus resurrected following his death on the cross.\u00a0<\/span><\/div><\/div>
\nThese disciples- the people who came out to the church-\u00a0 followed their teachings. Early on it was the oral tradition and then as time went on included the writings of the Apostles which we have in our New Testament.
\nJohn Wesley said,<\/p>\n
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\u201cI want the whole Christ for my Savior, the whole Bible for my book, the whole Church for my fellowship and the whole world for my mission field<\/span><\/em><\/strong>.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In other words, don’t cherry pick anything in the Teachings (i.e., Bible).\u00a0 Remain steadfast to the teaching- ALL of the teaching.\u00a0 Don’t pick and choose from other religions.\u00a0 Don’t bring God down to our level and force Him to fit into our preconceptions.\u00a0 Instead, pull us up to God’s level and discipline ourselves to obey.\u00a0 Otherwise we’re going to create a god in our image and worship that instead of the true God.<\/p>\n

Jesus says go into ALL the world.\u00a0 Frequently, the cast would go out on “road trips” and things would turn into a mess.\u00a0 But God created His church to go out into the world and make a difference.\u00a0 He makes it all work out and creates order out of what could have been chaos.<\/p>\n

Remember, that this stuff was all new to the early converts to Christianity;\u00a0 they didn’t understand anything about Jesus or the Christian faith. Acts 2:8 tells us that the converts were \u2018Parthians and Medes and Elamites,\u2019 and Jews gathered from every corner of the Roman world. They had come up to Jerusalem, and the bulk of them knew no more about Christ and Christianity than what they picked up out of Peter\u2019s sermon on the Day of Pentecost which we have in Acts 2:13-40. But that was enough to change their hearts and their wills and to lead them to a real faith.<\/p>\n

This is why would instruct a young preacher named Timothy when some conflict arose in Timothy\u2019s church;<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep on being faithful to what you were taught and to what you believed. After all, you know who taught you these things. Since childhood, you have known the Holy Scriptures that are able to make you wise enough to have faith in Christ Jesus and be saved. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Everything in the Scriptures is God\u2019s Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live. The Scriptures train God\u2019s servants to do all kinds of good deeds<\/span><\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

(2 Timothy 3:14-17 – CEV)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

These early disciples would also have realized that the Old Testament taught the same things they were now hearing from these Apostles…<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t

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