"STRANGLERS OR WRANGLERS?"

Acts 2:42-47

Posted November 5, 1999
Dr. Arthur G. Ferry, Jr., Pastor

Many years ago at the University of Wisconsin, there was an undergraduate literary club. The club consisted of male students who had demonstrated outstanding talent in writing. At each meeting one of the students would read aloud a story or essay he had written, and then submit it to the others for criticism. The criticism was brutal. Nothing was held back. The students showed no mercy in dissecting the material line by line. So hateful were the sessions that the members called themselves "The Stranglers."

Then a similar club was formed. It was called "The Wranglers." The Wranglers were female students also with outstanding writing ability. Like their male counterparts they would read their writings at meetings and would critique one another. There was one noticeable difference. The Wranglers' criticism was gentle, thoughtful, positive and kind. They lifted each other up and encouraged one another.

Twenty years later, a university researcher looked at the careers of the members of both groups. Not one of the bright young talents in "The Stranglers" had achieved a literary reputation of any kind. "The Wranglers," on the other hand, had produced half a dozen prominent, successful writers. What was the difference? The formats of both groups were similar. Both groups had very talented students. The difference was that "The Stranglers" cut each other down while "The Wranglers" lifted each other up. "The Stranglers" strangled the life out of one another. "The Wranglers" were life enhancing. And then there's the church. Stranglers or wranglers?

Nine-year-old Jessica was nervous the first Sunday she was scheduled to be the acolyte. Before the worship service began the head usher attempted to assure her that everything would be all right. As the prelude began Jessica picked up the lighter she would use to ignite the candles and turned to the usher to have him light it for her. She smiled at him and said, "It's all right if I make a mistake, because I'm in church." Out of the mouth of babes. "It's all right if I make a mistake, because I'm in church." Stranglers or Wranglers?

Our lesson from the Acts of the Apostles gives us a glimpse of a church filled with Wranglers. A sense of excitement, love and purpose permeated every meeting. They ate together and worshipped together. They experienced unity. And the results were truly amazing. "And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved."

Wouldn't it be great to recapture the enthusiasm and energy of that early church? Wouldn't it be great to have that same kind of love and harmony? Maybe we can. Let's look at some of the things that made that first church so alive, so powerful. How was it that they were Wranglers and not Stranglers?

WE DISCOVER, FIRST OF ALL, THAT THE TEACHING MINISTRY OF THE EARLY CHURCH WAS VERY IMPORTANT.

After work each evening the believers would gather at someone's home and share a meal. They would sing hymns of praise to God for all their many blessings. And they would listen to the apostles teach.

The apostles had been with Jesus. It was important for this new church community to learn about Jesus. After all, he was the source of their love--of their life. Their hunger for first-hand knowledge about him was insatiable. They wanted to learn all they could. We would do well to follow their example.

Admiral Byrd, the famous explorer, once found himself about 100 yards away from the safety of his South Pole hut when a sudden blizzard hit. The temperature was several degrees below zero, and the snow was blinding.

There were no landmarks in the white expanse of snow and ice-covered sea that would help him get his bearings. Yet he knew that if he didn't find the comparative warmth and safety of his hut, he would freeze to death in a matter of minutes.

Admiral Byrd could not see his hut or anything else in the freezing blizzard that would guide him to safety. He knew that he would freeze to death if he didn't find the shelter of his hut quickly. He also knew that if he struck out blindly, without a central reference point for a sense of direction, he would become hopelessly lost. Refusing to panic, the admiral assessed the situation.

In his hand was a 10-foot pole that he carried with him to probe for holes in the ice as he walked. He struck the pole in the snow and tied his bright-colored scarf to it. Then he began looking for the hut, keeping the pole in sight as a central reference point, knowing that he could always return to it if necessary.

He struck out, first in one direction, then in another, always keeping the pole and scarf in sight. Three times he came back to his point of reference; on the 4th try, he found his hut. His life was saved.

Hopefully, none of us will ever find ourselves in the same situation that Admiral Byrd was in. But think about it. Are there not many times in your life when a crisis occurs; when you just don't know which way to turn? At these times, you need a point of reference; a sense of direction.

The Bible is the point of reference for the Christian. We can't listen to the Apostles teach in the flesh, but we can hear them teach as we listen to the Word of God being read. As we listen we, too, will be touched with the love of Jesus. We need to take the teaching ministry of the church seriously if we are to be Wranglers and not Stranglers.

THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH WAS ALSO A PRAYING CHURCH.

They thanked God daily for all their many blessings and for the opportunity for fellowship and learning together. What would happen in our church if everyone agreed to pray daily for our church family?

Bishop Richard Wilke recalls the time he served as a pastor. He had read church growth material that said the key to keeping new members was to find a committee for them to work on. So that's what he did. Every new member was asked which committee she or he would like to serve on and was placed on that committee. Over the years Wilke realized that this method wasn't working. People would come for one meeting and never come back for a 2nd. What was the problem? he asked himself.

A few years later he had the opportunity to worship at Windsor Village Church in Houston, Texas. He arrived early to be sure he would have a seat for the 8:00 a.m. worship service. He discovered a church that is growing through the power of prayer. Just 10 years ago Windsor Village had 25 members. Today it has an average attendance of 2000.

Between the worship services Wilke had the opportunity to talk with some leaders of the church. They told him about the training and preparation each new member is expected to undergo. Each person is expected to pray for the ministry of the church. Each one is asked to tell the congregation what his or her ministry is going to be.

For example, in the service Wilke attended a middle-aged man stood before the congregation and made this commitment, "I'm not able to work right now," he said, "so I'm helping with our homeless program, helping to stock the food pantry and the clothing supply for Houston's homeless." An elderly woman said, "My ministry is to help in the nursery. I love to care for your babies. I've had 5 of my own and 8 grandchildren. I guess the Lord can use me in taking care of little ones." A 13-year-old boy, recently baptized, said, that he sings in the young people's gospel choir and is in Sunday School.

"It took awhile--10 or 15 minutes to hear from each one--but what a testimony, what a moment of victory!" And after each one spoke something interesting happened. One of the lay leaders would call out, "Much prayer--much power! Little prayer--little power! No prayer--no power!" That was one of the secrets of the early church. They were fueled by prayer.

WE ALSO DISCOVER THAT THE EARLY CHURCH THRIVED BECAUSE IT KNEW HOW TO SHARE.

"They would sell their possessions and goods," says Luke, "and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need."

Some of us are uncomfortable with the idea of selling our belongings to help others. "Let 'em make it the hard way like I did," is our cry. How sad--not only for those in need, but for ourselves.

A young college woman went to Honduras with a mission team on her spring break. While other students were enjoying their holiday, this young woman lived with a poor family in the mountains, sleeping on a dirt floor, living without electricity or running water. She saw this as her mission, her way of helping a poor family. But something happened that she never expected.

In the evenings she sat with this humble family in the twilight, singing, listening to stories around the fire. She saw how much this family cared for one another. She saw that they were not wrapped up in things but in relationships. "That family," she said later, "made me think of my family. Compared with that family in Honduras, my family is dysfunctional." Do you hear what she is saying? She went to help those less fortunate, but found that she was the one who was really helped. She was the one who experienced joy.

This past year we saw a tremendous outpouring of support to hurricane victims. Many churches took special offerings to help persons who lost their homes and all their belongings. Other churches sent supplies, building materials, food and clothing. When we give of ourselves to others in need we receive blessings we never expected. The saddest people in this world are people who never discover the joy of giving. The church thrives when it knows how to share. When it is willing to sacrifice to help others.

They were wranglers and not stranglers because they took the teaching ministry of the church seriously. Because they were a praying church. Because they knew how to share. But one characteristic about the early church was more important than all the rest:

THEY KEPT THEIR GAZE FIXED ON CHRIST.

A wealthy man lost his wife when their only child was young. The widower hired a governess to serve as a nanny for his son and as a general housekeeper. When the boy reached his teens, he became ill and died. Heartbroken from this 2nd tragic loss of a loved one, the father passed away a short time later. No will could be located, and since there were no known surviving relatives, the state began the process of confiscating the deceased executive's fortune. The man's personal belongings were put up for auction.

The old housekeeper had very little money, but she was determined to buy one family keepsake. It was a painting that had hung on a stairway wall in the house for many years--a large oil portrait of the young boy she had loved and nurtured for 15 years.

When the items of the home were auctioned, no one wanted the painting, so the housekeeper was able to buy it for just a few dollars. Once she had the painting in her home, she began to clean it and polish the frame, cherishing the memories the painting evoked within her. As she took the frame apart to repair it, a paper fell out from behind the cardboard backing. It was her former's employer's will. In it he stated that all of his wealth should go to the one who loved his son enough to claim the portrait.

Here was where the early church found the ultimate source of its life and its love. They kept their gaze fixed on Christ. Wrangler or Strangler? May we keep our eyes fixed on him as well.

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