I want to guard against the idea that people sometimes get (including myself) that if I could just find the right words - if I could just deliver the message with enough power - if I could just find the verbal key that would unlock my listeners - THEN everything would change.

The magic stewardship sermon would then solve all our giving and budget problems. The magic mission sermon would transform our members into enthusiastic evangelists. The perfect law and gospel sermon would lead certain stubborn people to faith at last. And so on...

Sometimes people do react to a particular sermon delivered at just the right time - but even then their reaction does not generally revolutionize the church. Addressing a crisis or a division in the congregation, one sermon may really touch many hearts of those who are angry with each other - but it doesn't solve all the hurt feelings and make further work unnecessary. Someone may profess Christ after a particularly powerful or pointed message that struck them - but it was not that sermon by itself that achieved the change.

So what is happening in Acts 2? Peter's sermon is a remarkable event, and one that the Holy Spirit uses in a miraculous way. But even here it is not the beginning and end. These crowds of people have already known about Jesus and been confronted with the dilemma, the challenge of what to believe about him, so they are well prepared for Peter's words the complete the story. And after they come to faith, their problems are not all solved. Their questions are not all answered. They do not dwell in perfect unity. They NEED to meet frequently, devote themselves to the apostles' teaching, and learn from one another in the fellowship. Although it sounds idyllic and loving in Acts 2:42-47, as we read on we realize that the first church had divisions and misunderstandings too. They needed to learn and grow!

What do WE expect? We would hope that our congregation would be a nice place where everyone gets along. We would expect that our members would not hold crazy wrong ideas about the Bible. We would think that people in our church would always respond to one another in the "right" way, that they'd be mature Christians, or that once the pastor has preached a powerful sermon about a problem that then that problem should go away.

Some people congratulated me on Easter that I had spoken clearly to those people who only attend once a year. "That should get through to them!" But one sermon won't change the problem. These things only change as we act like the Body of Christ - meeting together - nurturing and challenging one another - building one another up in love - correcting, rebuking, training in righteousness.

Are you impatient with a problem in the church? Join the club. Even the Lord is frustrated with our stubbornness. Read the first chapters of Revelation. BUT... he continues to work with us. That's why we're still here!