Author: John Johnstone

Sermon: Sunday, 6th April, 2025
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Acts 20:28-31

The first point in our 7-part vision statement is:

‘To train and develop church leaders for the future, for the deacons’ court, kirk session and preaching.’

Has this been a strength of our church over the last 30 years? No, it hasn’t. We have not appointed any deacons for a very long time and for most of the last 30 years have needed helping elders (assessor elders) from other Free Churches to help us. However, I am much more optimistic about the future as I believe that in the last few years we are beginning to invest more in potential church leaders. We have made a start. The Lord has blessed us with three elders at the Leven end, all men who have arrived in the last three years. Things are moving in a positive direction. We need to add to our leadership at the Kirkcaldy end. I would like us all to pray not just that the Lord would raise up more workers for the harvest field in general, but additionally, that He would raise up godly leaders in our own church too. And that He would help the current leadership to train and develop these men. Do we have potential new leaders who are displaying leadership gifts? Yes, we do! That is exciting.

Kirkcaldy Free Church is a revitalisation church. That just means that we are fragile and in need of growth and development. In one sense, all congregations ought to be places of revitalisation. But we need to acknowledge that we are fragile in terms of our current leadership situation. Harry Reeder has written a famous book on church revitalisation called ‘From embers to a flame’. That’s what we want to happen at Kirkcaldy Free Church – a movement from embers to a flame. This is what he says about leadership:

‘For your church to go from embers to a flame, you must develop leaders, and then deploy them in the church and in the society around you. You will have to do this intentionally, purposefully, and with a lot of hard work. Good leaders don’t just appear out of thin air- they must be raised up, trained and tested. But when they are, their lives and ministries will bear abundant fruit for the glory of God, in the church and throughout the world.’

Training and developing leaders in our church is going to feature more than it has ever done before. But this part of our vision statement, as all of it, must be rooted in the Bible. One of the key verses here is this: ‘And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.’   (2 Timothy 2:2)

Timothy is Paul’s apprentice and Paul had invested time and energy and prayer training and discipling him, particularly through teaching him the Bible and how to apply it to his own life. Now Paul wants Timothy to do the same for others. You can see the domino effect here. As we train leaders who in turn will train more leaders, we are thinking way beyond the next five years of church life here. Rather, we need a larger vision than that. We want to see a rippling effect, with training leaders as something in our DNA, so that our church can flourish for generations to come.

But what if we don’t bother too much investing in church leadership. We could just drift along and if people who end up with leadership qualities appear at our church then great! Jesus says of the Pharisees: ‘Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.’   (Matthew 15:14) We are meant to be able to follow our leaders, but if the leaders themselves are ungodly, then people will still follow them, but they will follow in a dangerous direction.

Let’s focus this morning on what the role of an elder is, and as we do that, we will be reminded once again of just how important this role actually is. If there’s one picture that should come to mind when we think of the word ‘elder’ it should be that of a shepherd. Elders are shepherds of the flock.

‘To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them – not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.’   (1 Peter 5:1-4)

Elders must be willing to serve in the congregation, but that does not mean they should not be valued. Scripture reminds us of how the church family ought to respect and submit to the authority of church elders: ‘Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.’   (Hebrews 13:17)

Elders must keep watch over the sheep and will have to give an account to God about how they have done in this job the Lord has entrusted them with. This is a sobering verse for myself and Rich and Geoff and Elijah and Alistair. We need your prayers so that we will be godly elders, leading by godly example. Sometimes we fail in this.

Elders, then, are shepherds of the flock, the church family. This is a serious responsibility. Of course, the Great Shepherd of the sheep is Jesus Christ. But elders are under-shepherds. Let’s break this shepherding role down using Acts 20 as our main passage. Godly shepherds must lead the sheep, feed the sheep and protect the sheep.

1. Leading the sheep

‘Be shepherds of the church of God…’   (Acts 20:28)

When I think of a flock of sheep being led, I think of sheep dogs. But we need to have a different picture in our minds to understand what is being said in God’s Word. An eastern shepherd would go ahead of their sheep and the sheep follow. And this is the picture we have here in Acts 20. How, then, are elders to lead the sheep? By their example; ‘…not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.’   (1 Peter 5:3)

Elders must have a clear vision of where they would like the church to go. That’s one reason why it is so helpful for us to have a clear vision statement, so that there is clarity about the direction we are going in. And the vision of the elders must be derived from the Bible but applied to our own situation here in Fife. This too will take energy and prayer and thought. When this vision is cast, the elders must walk the walk, and not just talk the talk.

For example, point 3 of our vision statement is: ‘Equipping and encouraging members in personal evangelism.’ Elders must not sit back and talk about this. We must lead by example. Elders should be the first to prayerfully share their faith and this ought to be evident. By doing this, we can will be shepherds going ahead of the sheep, and the whole congregation can follow our example, with everyone, in different ways, shares their faith with those to whom God has placed them amongst. Elders should be ‘visual aids’ as to how evangelism should be done. People should be able to learn from what we are doing in this area.

Am I going over the top here? Should we be copying the example of our elders? ‘Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.’   (Hebrews 13:7) Of course, elders will never be perfect. And sometimes we fail and are actually bad examples to the flock. This is a serious business. I am aware of some serious failings in my own life as an elder and I am sure there are others areas where I have let you down and I am not even aware of them.

If I was starting ministry all over again, I would focus more on the beginning of Acts 20 v28: ‘Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock…’ Elders must keep watch over themselves. In other words, they must guard their own hearts. They must focus on being humble and leading their own families well. They must focus on growing in their love for Jesus and praying for their sheep. But notice, this is not something elders are to do on their own. It doesn’t say, ‘Keep watch over yourself’, but ‘yourselves’. Elders in our kirk session should be a band of brothers, who look out for each other and keep one another accountable, through mutual encouragement, training and sometimes even rebuking one another. In 2025, we tend to think too individualistically. But having been with these dear Ephesian elders for 3 years, Paul tells them to keep watch over themselves. We must stay accountable and I believe our church is getting better in this area.

2. Feeding the sheep

‘He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.’   (Titus 1:9)

I hope it goes without saying that elders must know God’s Word well so that they are able to lead and guide the flock through the issues of the day by showing how the Scriptures relate to those issues. As your minister, I am the teaching elder. So, I have a particular responsibility to teach you and to give you a balanced diet of spiritual food. However, you also have a responsibility to feed yourselves – to be reading your Bibles carefully at home. And you also have a responsibility to be committed to the times the leadership have appointed as ‘feeding times’ – Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday evening. If a shepherd began to notice that a particular sheep was eating less food than others, the shepherd would be right to be concerned. If a parent noticed a child was skipping meals that too would be concerning. In the same way, the elders are concerned when people miss out on the designated corporate times of feeding! Perhaps you could think about supporting the evening service and mid-week meeting, if you are able to.

The teaching elder has a primary responsibility to teach; however, all the elders share this responsibility. Maybe not from the pulpit, but in small groups, or 1:1. Elders must be able to open their Bibles and point you in the right direction. The main thing elders have for you is the Word of God so they must be careful students of God’s Word. The flip-side is this you must understand that you are sheep and need to be fed! Bible study and fellowship in the Word are key. The prayer meeting and evening services are not unimportant add-ons. Napoleon once said that ‘an army marches on its stomach’. In other words, if an army is to be able to march well and fight well in battle, then it goes without saying that they need to be well fed. Their food intake is crucial. The same can be said in the church. Elders must feed the sheep well; and the sheep must be willing to be fed and make the most of those feeding times.

3. Protecting the sheep

‘Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard!’   (Acts 20:28-31)

Elders need to protect you. Protect you from what? From false teaching. In 2025 this includes new ideas about gender, and about euthanasia and other moral issues of the day. We must protect you from false teaching and false ideas, such as that all religions are equally valid. We need to protect you from any people who would create division in the congregation. And we need to help you with problems in your own lives when appropriate, being mindful that we are sinners too. We must be able to speak the truth to you in love.

In Psalm 23 we read: ‘Your rod and staff comfort me.’ What was a shepherd’s rod used for? It was for beating away the enemies of the sheep, such as lions and bears. Elders must know their sheep and be willing to risk their own lives to protect them. They must be willing to make sacrifices for the sheep, following the example of Jesus, the Great Shepherd: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’   (John 10:11) Elders are under-shepherds. Jesus our example.

What is an elder? They are shepherds who lead, feed, and protect the sheep. Jesus is the Great Shepherd. He does these things perfectly. We cannot do them perfectly but with God’s help we have to do them. I genuinely believe that when I started in ministry there was far too much of doing things on my own. Ministers aren’t meant to be doing all or even most of the work in a church. In fact, Scripture explicitly says: ‘And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…’   (Ephesians 4:1-12) In other words, the elders share in the work but they must also be equipping the entire congregation to be doing the work. All church members share in the work of the church.

I believe it has been a positive change that more and more ministers are now doing things in twos and threes. That way, they are not working on their own, and they are training others in the work. I found this quote by Harry Reeder very helpful:
‘If you are a leader, anything you do by yourself is a waste of time. But if you perform your ministry with someone else, then everything you do becomes discipleship and leadership training. You are not only ministering, but also instructing and providing a model to imitate.’

4. To train and develop church leaders for the future, for the deacons’ court, kirk session and preaching.

Why is this worth it? One reason is this. The flock is so valuable. It is not my flock or the Kirk Session’s flock but it is God’s flock: ‘Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.’   (Acts 20:28) One indicator of the value of something is how much it costs. You are the church. This is your value – you were purchased with the blood of God himself, in Christ Jesus. You cannot be more valuable than that. And that’s why elders must do all they can to lead and feed and protect the sheep, for God’s glory.

Let’s end with a quote from Richard Baxter which is a positive challenge to all the elders in our church:

‘Let us hear these arguments of Christ whenever we feel ourselves grow dull and careless. Did I die for them and will you not look after them? Were they worth my blood and yet not worth your labour? Did I come down from Heaven to earth to seek and save that which was lost and will you not go to the next door or street or village to save them? How small is your labour and condescension compared to mine? Have I done and suffered so much for their salvation and was I willing to make you a co-worker with me and will you refuse the little that lies in your hands?’

Sermon: Sunday, 30th March, 2025
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Ephesians 4:31-32

Most of us know the saying that if you find the perfect church then don’t join it because you’ll ruin it. Of course, there is no such thing as a perfect church. Churches are made up of sinners who are saved by God’s grace. Even as Christians, as changed people, new creations, we will still upset one another and become angry with one another. However, we must strive with God’s help to be as loving a church as we can be. We saw how important that is a few weeks ago, when Jesus said: ‘By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’   (John 13:35) Our attitude of love one towards the other is the distinguishing mark of the Christian. This morning we are returning to the last item in our 7-part vision statement: ‘To grow closer as a loving church family, through mutual support and practical care.’ It would be easy for us to just gloss over this line and then, well of course churches must be places where everyone is loved and cared for. We do that don’t we? But it is not as easy as all that.

1. Why is it so hard to be a supportive and loving church?

If it was easy then Christians wouldn’t leave churches in a huff. If it was easy to love one other then churches would be gossip-free and anger-free zones, but they are not. If it was easy to care for everyone well in our church then no one would be missed out in the care and everyone would be involved. But we are far from perfect. Sometimes whole churches split and people fall out after taking sides.

Why is it so hard to support and care for one another? Why is it so hard to maintain the unity of a church and for people not to fall out? In the old days, we used to speak about ‘the world, the flesh and the Devil’ as the enemies of the soul and three reasons why progress in the Christian life is so hard. Let’s think briefly about the world, the flesh and the Devil, in reverse order.

The last thing Satan wants is for us to be a loving church family. He is at work in every single church trying to cause disunity amongst its members. If we want to help Satan do this, then let’s be angry with one another. ‘In your anger do not sin’: do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.’ (Ephesians 4:26-27) There is a real Devil, and even when we begin to nurture some angry feelings, it gives him a ‘foothold’ and he becomes hard to dislodge.

Next, we all know how easy it is for us to react in all kind of damaging ways when we feel someone has hurt us. Paul has to command us to: ‘Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice’ verse 31), because he knows these things lurk in the heart of every Christian. They lurk in my heart, so I must be on guard.

And finally there’s the ‘world’ which means the world in its rebellious attitude to the ways of God. Whilst God calls us to forgive one another, some would give the opposite advice. For example, if someone hurts you just blank them. Ignore them. You can do without that! Surround yourself with people who affirm you! The ball is in their court to make the first moved- they wronged you, not the other way around! Let’s be honest, people fall out with each other all the time, and the church is not immune from those kind of worldly reactions. In fact, they come naturally to us. This passage reminds us that when others hurt us, we must respond in a different way. And that’s harder.

Why should we respond in a different way? ‘Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.’   (Ephesians 4:32) God has been kind to us and that’s why we must be kind to one another. God has had compassion on us. He looked at us in all our brokenness and sin and guilt and lostness with sympathy. So, we must look at fellow sinners with sympathy. And Christians are people who know they don’t deserve God’s forgiveness and yet amazingly he offers us that forgiveness even though it necessitates the death of his Son. We are forgiven people and so we must be forgiving people. It’s the gospel which transforms how we react when others hurt us.

How do you become a Christian? Only when we pray to Jesus and say sorry for messing up so badly, and thanking him for loving us and dying on the cross for us. We know we cannot sort out our own lives but need God’s help, and we trust in Jesus to change us. When we trust in Jesus, we become new people, new creations. We receive a power we never had before, God’s Holy Spirit.

Put simply, God’s Holy Spirit inside us helps us to change over time, usually gradually. The Spirit enables us to get rid of more and more which belongs to our past lives and to put to death the things which are unlike Jesus. And positively, the Spirit helps us to develop the character of Jesus in our own lives. We, over time, think and behave more like him. It’s not enough for Christians just to try to stop doing wrong things; they must also, in God’s strength, seek to do good, just as Jesus did. Every day is a school day for Christians. Because every day we must take off the dirty clothes from our old ways and put on the new clothes which Jesus supplies.

2. Each day involves taking off and putting on

If a mechanic is going to a wedding, he must take off his oily work clothes. But that’s not enough. He must put on his wedding clothes – a kilt or his best suit. Both taking off and putting on are needed. That’s the picture we have here in Ephesians chapter 4: ‘You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.’ (Ephesians 4:22-24) This picture of taking off and putting on is so important because it describes what ordinary Christians should be focusing on doing day by day.

I also love the illustration of gardening. In order to have a beautiful garden, each day you must weed out the things which are harmful and not meant to be there. But that is not enough. You must also plant what is beautiful in the garden. You must do both. Are you doing both? Perhaps you are someone who overstresses the negative and you’re always thinking of Christianity as don’t do this and don’t do that. That is part of it. But what about the positives of seeking justice and helping others and sharing your faith? Then there are people who just focus on the positive, but aren’t so good at identifying the sins lurking in their own lives and dealing with them. Friends, let’s burn this image into our minds – every day is a day for taking off dirty clothes spiritually speaking, and putting on clean ones. And we can only do it prayerfully, depending on the Spirit to work within us.

Verse 25 makes it clear that it’s not enough just to stop speaking falsehood – we must also speak the truth. In verse 28 we read that it’s not enough just to stop stealing, but positively we must work hard, not so we can buy luxuries, but so that we can share with those who are in need. But today our focus is how Christians are to react when someone wrongs us or hurts us. We’re told we must not harbour bitterness in our hearts and react in sinful anger. That might sound hard enough for you! But the Lord goes beyond that with the positive. Yes, we must stop reacting in anger to such people, but we must also treat them with kindness and compassion and forgiveness. These verses are counter-cultural in many ways. What should our church be like? It should be full of people who don’t retaliate when they are mistreated, but rather consider how they can be a blessing to the one who has wronged them. This is a supernatural response, because it is only possible with the help of God, but we are still responsible to choose this path, instead of the path of anger and retaliation. And as we choose the path of kindness, compassion and forgiveness, the precious unity of the church family is maintained and Satan doesn’t get a foothold.

This radical call of how to respond to others when they hurt us is beautifully illustrated by Joseph in the book of Genesis. He was hated by and deeply wounded by his brothers. Their jealousy of Joseph was so great that they wished he was dead and sold him into slavery – their own brother. Joseph lost a colossal amount: his family home, his language and culture and his freedom. If anyone had a right to be bitter and angry, you might think it would have been Joseph. I believe Joseph might well have wrestled with feelings of resentment and anger. However, he makes a choice in God’s strength not to retaliate, even know he had great power and would have been able to do so. He chooses a different path than bitterness and anger. Not only does Joseph forgive his brothers, but he also treats them with kindness and compassion.

‘Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children.’   (Genesis 47:12)

‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.’ And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.’   (Genesis 50:20-21)

Friends, Joseph took off bitterness and anger and put on kindness, compassion and forgiveness.

3. How not to respond when we are hurt

Let’s take a closer look at this negative list of reactions in verse 31. Bitterness is when we refuse to be reconciled with the person who wronged us. Instead, we keep on thinking about how we have been mistreated. It is a valuable thing when we have files of our favourite photos on our laptop or pc, and from time to time we open them up and look at them and precious memories flood back. But imagine we had photos of times when people hurt us and we kept on clicking on them and mulling over what happened. Would that be helpful for us? And yet sometimes we do just that and we become bitter. Proverbs gives us some crucial advice here: ‘Whoever would foster love covers over an offence, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.’   (Proverbs 17:9) When we replay the incident in our minds, we repeat the matter to ourselves. We also repeat the matter by bringing it up again and again to the person who wronged us, and also repeating the matter to others, which is gossip. Haven’t we all repeated the matter and strained a friendship? Why not choose instead to foster love by covering over an offence?

Perhaps there’s someone at home or in the church and you have become embittered towards them. This is something you need to do something about. This kind of resentment leads to all other kinds of things: rage and anger and brawling and slander and malice. When bitterness takes root in our hearts, it becomes far easier to lose our self-control with someone and fly off the handle in a rage. And the more we do that, this behaviour can become habit-forming. Brawling is when we might start shouting or tell someone to ‘Get out!’ This negative anger often leads to slander. We use our words to attack the person who wronged us, through nasty cutting words. If we know the person well we might know how to strike a low blow. And the tragedy of choosing the response of bitterness is this: often our angry and reactive behaviours are actually worse than the original thing which was done to us. We have stooped down to their level, or worse. And ultimately we are harming ourselves, because becoming a bitter person makes us unattractive and will even impact our physical and mental health. So, if there is someone you need to forgive, then sort it out as soon as possible.

But far worse than harming ourselves is this fact: it grieves God the Holy Spirit. ‘Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…’   (Ephesians 4:30) Here’s the thing, by choosing the path of anger instead of kindness and forgiveness, you are actively resisting the path the Holy Spirit is prompting to take and you are grieving Him. He is displeased. He is disappointed with us. The triune God is in perfect unity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. No wonder then disunity hurts him. Have you ever thought about that before? I think many of us forget we are indwelt by the Spirit. He is our permanent lodger.

4. How the Spirit wants us to respond when wronged

In Luke’s Gospel we read: ‘So watch yourselves. If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.’ The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’   (Luke 17:3-5)

In his book called ‘Forgive’, Tim Keller draws our attention to the 3 words ‘so watch yourselves’. He reminds us that so often when we are wronged, we focus all our attention on the person and what they have done. Jesus does not. He says ‘Watch your own heart’. Jesus knows how hard we find it to forgive others and how easy we find an angry response. Let’s take this practical lesson into our own lives. The next time someone wrongs you, would you be willing to watch your own heart’s response? That’s what Jesus calls us to do.

It’s not enough for us to refrain from reacting in anger. We must do far more than that: ‘Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.’   (Ephesians 4:32) Dan Hamilton says this: ‘Forgiveness is more than a matter of refusing to hate someone. It is also a matter of choosing to demonstrate love and acceptance to the offender…’ That’s challenging! And it requires great humility on our part. But friends, we ought to be humble if we understand the gospel.

The gospel informs us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We owed God a debt so large that we could not begin to pay it. We messed up enormously. God reacted to us in kindness, compassion, and by forgiving us. And so we must react to one another like this. Not to do so is a sign that perhaps we have never really been saved and have never understood just how great a debt we owe to God. So when someone lets you down, don’t ignore them or write them off or retaliate. Instead, show kindness towards them. And when hurt by someone, don’t just feel sorry for yourself. Instead, show them compassion, because like them, you also hurt others and you also let people down.

Can we really blame other people for our anger and resentment?

Jerry Bridges:‘In facing up to our anger we need to realise that no one else causes us to be angry. Someone else’s words or actions may become the occasion of our anger, but the cause lies deep within us- usually our pride, or selfishness or desire to control’

When we come back to the cross of Christ, it becomes harder to refuse to forgive. ‘…forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.’   (Ephesians 4:32) How did God forgive us? He forgives us fully and freely. He doesn’t brood over our confessed sins or cast them up in our faces. He always forgives us when we repent and ask him to, no matter how great the sin. Are we willing to do the same? Surely the well-known parable of the unmerciful servant should be enough for us to see that because Christians are a forgiven people, we must be a forgiving people. God in Christ has forgiven our astronomical debt and so we must forgive others who owe us far smaller debts. Really, this is basic Christianity: in the Lord’s Prayer we pray: ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.’ (Matthew 6:12)

In Kirkcaldy Free Church, as in all churches, there will be differences of opinion, personality clashes, wrong thoughts and words and actions and various tensions which arise because we are all still sinners this side of eternity. The question is, when this happens, how will we respond? Will we respond with humility. Will we remember how God has treated us? Or will we become bitter and bring division into the church and into our families?

‘Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.’   (Ephesians 4:32)

Sermon: Sunday, 16th March, 2025
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Acts 12:1-19

We are part of the Free Church of Scotland. Our denomination’s vision statement is: ‘A healthy gospel church for every community in Scotland’. That is a wonderful vision to have. But it also begs the question, what is a healthy church? It is an extremely important question. Is it one with growing numbers, an excellent praise band or a large number of full-time staff members? When I think of what it means to be a heathy church, my mind often goes back to Acts chapter 2 and to the description of the early church just after the Holy Spirit had been poured out at Pentecost:

‘They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.’   (Acts 2:42)

‘And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.’   (Acts 2:47)

A healthy church is devoted to certain things. Devotion to something means we are heavily committed to something, recognising its value and importance. What are you devoted to? These Spirit-filled Christians were devoted to the teaching of the church, sharing their lives with their fellow Christians and supporting them, the sacraments of the church and to the church’s meetings for prayer. We also see evangelism is a crucial ingredient in the life of the early church as the Lord is adding to their number. These things give us the blueprint for the church. They map out what we should be devoted to today. Out of all of these ingredients, which are we best at as a church and which are we weakest in? I believe the two areas we need to grow in the most are in learning to share our faith with others, and in learning to pray together. For me, identifying areas of weakness can only be positive, as then with God’s help, we can endeavour to become a healthier church. All churches must try to be healthier.

This morning, we are returning once again to our 7-part vision statement for the next 4 years. The fourth part of our statement is this: ‘That we would keep close to God, and be faithful in prayer, both in our homes and also at the prayer meeting.’ We cannot possibly be a healthy church unless we are a church family which prays together. Praying together is one of the most basic things Christians gather together to do. We need to be honest and recognise just how weak we are in this area. However, our purpose is not to make people feel guilty but remain unchanged; rather, our purpose is to be inspired by the early church and get back on track. The early church was a church steeped in an atmosphere of prayer, both prayer in private and in public. They were devoted to prayer. As the early church was waiting for the Spirit to be poured out we read: ‘They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.’   (Acts 1:14) Wouldn’t it be thrilling if today some of us were inspired by God’s Word to meet together in order to pray more? This would please the Lord.

The early church would gather to pray together in times of crisis but also in times of peace and calm. At all times, they want to spend time together with the Lord because they love him and because they want to be found in his will.

As we zoom in on Acts chapter 12, we find the church in a time of crisis. There is a spiritual battle going on in this book – the same battle that is going on today. Put simply, it is a battle between good and evil. The evil side seems so powerful, headed by Herod Agrippa the 1st: ‘It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.’ & nbsp; (Acts 12:1-2)

Herod is a people-pleaser. He is unpopular, but desperate to win the favour of the Jews (and everyone else). And so he has James, one of the twelve disciples, put to death and this delights the Jews: ‘When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also.’   (Acts 12:3) His uncle was the Herod (Antipas) who had tried Jesus and his grandfather was the Herod (Herod the Great) who had the infant boys of Bethlehem massacred. In other words, this was a family totally opposed to the gospel.

Now Peter has been imprisoned, ‘… guarded by four squads of four soldiers each…’ (Acts 12:4) The might of Rome is coming up against this small Christian group. What chance did they have? What could they do? Perhaps it seemed as if the church would never last. It might get snuffed out like a candle.

Herod didn’t want to do his dirty work during a religious festival lest he offended the Jews! This is so hypocritical. He will wait for a few days until the festival is over, conduct a show trial, and bring Peter to the same fate as that of James. What can Christians do, a small hated minority, when up against Roman guards, iron chains, and an iron prison gate? What can the church do? What weapons can the church yield? They have no army to muster. They have no contacts from foreign armies to call on for help. The state seems all-powerful. Its rulers have no concern whatsoever for the plight of Christians. And yet there is a weapon.

1. The early church recognised the power of prayer

‘So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.’   (Acts 12:5) The church had a massive weapon. And they go on the offensive. Prayer was a big deal for them. Prayer was the main thing that they could do, even when circumstances seemed impossible to overcome. Is that how you see prayer, as the main weapon we have as a church? On Wednesday we gathered to pray for the good of the great nation of Turkey. Only 1 in every 10,000 people is a Christian there. That seems so bleak. It might seem impossible to change. It might seem pointless trying to do anything in a place like that. The early church would look at that situation and say to us, ‘Friends, we need to pray together.’ The early church believed and experienced that prayer changes things, because God hears and answers our prayers.

Let’s be honest, many of us struggle to believe in the power of prayer to bring about real change. If we did, our prayer meeting would be far busier on a Wednesday night. We would be enthusiastic about hearing about other nations, and sharing in the work through praying together. We would meet together pleading with God to save our loves ones, to be at work in our communities, to strengthen our families and to help us in our struggle against sin. Many people in our churches today can accurately be described as ‘practical atheists’. They believe in God but their actions and prayerlessness reveal that really God is irrelevant to their every day lives. They pray little at home if at all, and they seldom gather with others to pray.

The early church were the opposite. They look at this really tough situation with Peter’s incarceration and they see Herod’s military strength. But they see far more. They look with the eyes of faith beyond what they can physically see and know that there is a far greater king on the throne that Herod. They factor that into the equation. They don’t say ‘there’s nothing we can do’. Rather, they instinctively know that there is something to be done: they must gather to pray. They pray with faith, believing that the Lord is able to set Peter free should he deem that to be best.

They pray with faith but they also pray ‘earnestly’ (verse 5). In other words, they pray with zeal and passion and with all their hearts. This word ‘earnestly’ is the same word used to describe the way in which Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane: ‘And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.’   (Luke 22:44). Jesus prays with passion for another way to be found if there was another way, but all the time he prays submitting to the fact that his Father’s answer might be. ‘No’. ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’   (Luke 22:42) Jesus knows the power of prayer, but he also knows that prayer is not just getting what you want. Prayer is not an insurance policy against adversity!

Does prayer work? Yes it does, because God works when we pray! On this occasion there is a quick answer to the prayers of the church. It’s usually not like that! But God chooses to send an angel to rescue Peter. It is comical just how effortlessly Peter is able to escape. The chains just fall from his arms and the prison doors open by themselves. Herod and his military might is no match for the King of Kings: ‘… the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches…’   (Act2 12:11) I love the honesty of the account of this prayer meeting in Mary’s house. They are praying with faith and yet when their prayers are answered the are so slow to believe it. Perhaps I’m like that when I pray for conversions but then doubt it has actually happened. Could he or she really be a Christian?

Campbell Morgan: ‘These people pray earnestly and doubtingly, and yet that force of earnest halting prayer was mightier than Herod and mightier than hell.’

Thomas Watson: ‘An angel fetched Peter out of prison, but prayer fetched the angel out of Heaven’. Friends, we need to believe in the power of prayer. ‘You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.’ (James 4:2:)

Can it be said of Kirkcaldy Free Church that we are not seeing more conversions and more growth in holiness because we do not ask? Let’s come together and ask!

Please note again what the early church were doing in verse 12: ‘When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.’ Many of the men and woman in spite of their busyness, come together in order to pray. They don’t make lame excuses and they don’t need their arms twisted to come. They come because they wanted to come. They recognise that there is no better use of their time than to come together with the saints to pray. ‘Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.’   (Matthew 18:19-20)

2. The early church know praying does not mean getting what we want

Some people use their own negative experience as an excuse not to pray. They say, ‘I tried praying and it didn’t work. God left me in the situation’. But Jesus was also left in the situation. The difference is this: God sustained him in that situation and brought him through it. Prayer is not about getting what we want, or even what we think is best. We can still pray specifically, but all the time, like Jesus we must say, ‘Father, may your will be done’. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t hear and answer our prayers, but he does so according to what he knows is best. He is altogether wise. He alone sees the big picture. So, then, we pray with faith and fervour but also favouring the will of God to come to pass rather than our own wants. Though he doesn’t always give us what we want, he will strengthen us in our situations.

The mystery of God’s will is something we seen clearly in Acts 12. It’s illustrated by the fact that God allows the apostle James to be killed but chooses to save the apostle Peter. This is not random. God knows what he is doing, but we do not. We need to trust him and submit to his mysterious will. I believe the church would have been praying just as fervently for James; however, it is the Lord’s will to take him to Heaven. We cannot understand this. There is no explanation given by God. But I agree with Campbell Morgan, who says that there is great comfort in the revelation of a God like this: ‘…the one who could deliver Peter, and in his wisdom did so, was equally wise when He did not deliver James. Life can never be perfectly understood in the process of its living; we must wait… God does all things well.’

This reminds me of the way Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego pray before entering the fiery furnace. They understand that God is able to save, but that he might not. ‘If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’   (Daniel 3:17-18)

3. Let us learn from and be like the early church

If we are honest, prayer is sometimes a last resort for us. We try to sort our own problems in our own strength, and if that doesn’t work, then we might just pray. But prayer should be our first recourse. It should be our first resort in times of need and times of peace.

Gordon Keddie: ‘Prayer properly precedes whatever other actions, if any, may be decided upon… This is a vital test of the reality of a person’s faith. Those who are really trusting the Lord pray first, and then act while continuing to look to the Lord. Those who trust themselves act first, and then pray only in desperation, and to whoever will hear.’

Friends, let’s encourage one another to make prayer our first port of call in all situations. This is exactly what prayer was for the early church.

The seemingly impossible situation the church faced was Peter being held in maximum security and facing death. What impossible situations do we face as a church family or in our own families at home? There are situations you face which you cannot change by your own actions. There are relationships which are broken and loved ones who are not converted and family and work situations which are draining and we see no way out. Change seems impossible. Learn from the early church and get down on your knees and pray through these things each day. Do not give up. Believe that God specialises in changing situations where it seems hopeless. Jairus was told, ‘Your daughter is dead; don’t bother the teacher anymore.’ Jesus says to him ‘Keep on believing’. You need the eyes of faith to see beyond the circumstances and see God on his throne.

And finally, let’s wrestle with this fact, in the early church these under-pressure Christians, Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free, men and women were in the habit of praying together. Yes, they prayed on their own too and in their families. But they regularly came together to pray. That’s what the church does. What will you do with that fact?

Harry Reeder: ‘Often in our churches today every other ministry takes over from the ministry of prayer. And I suggest that many times this is the primary reason why churches decline or die. They have charismatic leaders or slick programmes, but they have become ineffective because the church has stopped praying. On the other hand, any church that commits itself to prayer, no matter how bad things may have become, can be renewed and rebuilt by the power of the Spirit.’

If you can join us on a Wednesday evening to pray I would encourage you do to so. If you cannot, then I would encourage you to find another time when you can meet with other Christians to pray. May we be a church committed to praying together.

Sermon: Sunday, 9th March, 2025
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: John 13:33-34

On Friday, I reposted our church’s 7-part vision statement. I want us to take a break from our studies in Romans in order to focus on our vision statement. The last (but not least) of our aims is: ‘To grow closer as a loving church family, through mutual support and practical care.’ If we want our church to be as God glorifying and God pleasing as possible then it must be a church full of practical acts of love. This should be an obvious feature of church life, clear for all to see. Jesus says: ‘A new command I give you: Love one another.’   (John 13:33) This is not a divine suggestion or invitation from God. He’s not asking us: ‘Please love each other’. It is a divine command. This is something that we all must be doing. And it is something I believe we are doing. But we must not be resting on our laurels. We must not relax. The truth is, for us to excel in this arena as a church is extremely difficult. In fact, it is impossible. That is, it’s impossible for us to love one another the way God wants us to without his supernatural help. And yet unless there is evidence of love in our hearts for one another, we cannot possibly be true disciples of Christ.

What is the context into which Jesus gives us this new command? Well, it is just hours before he goes the way of the cross. He is about to endure great physical agony and even more than that, spiritual agony, as he himself becomes accursed in order to pay for our sins. He has so much to think about. And yet, here is Jesus taken up with the needs of his disciples rather than his own needs. This is in itself a tremendous window into Jesus’ heart of love. Of course, at such a significant time, knowing that he is about to leave his disciples, he is not going to teach or focus upon secondary issues but primary ones. Jesus will home in on what is crucial. And what is crucial for Christians is that they actively display love for one another.

Many years ago, we did a series looking at the ‘one another’ statements in the New Testament. There are around 50 such statements in the New Testament. However, the command to ‘love one another’ is repeated 12 times, far more than any of the others. After loving God, this is the most important command which God gives us.

1. Is this a new command?

Why does Jesus call a command to be loving a ‘new’ command? After all, surely the first 4 commandments in the Decalogue teach us how to love God, and the 5th to the 10th commandments are given in order to teach us what it means to love one another. If we want to love others then we must tell them the truth and respect their property and be faithful in our marriages and honour our parents and guard the sanctity of life and so on. Jesus summarises the 10 commandments in terms of love. ‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.’   (Mark 12:28-31)

And even in the Old Testament we read: ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord.’   (Leviticus 19:18) So, in one sense this is not a new command! Why then, does Jesus call it a new command? There are two Greek words for ‘new’. One means completely new, but the other meaning (and the one used here) means giving a new dimension to something which is already there. It means a fresh expression of something.

I believe that’s why Jesus calls this command a ‘new command’. The coming of Jesus Christ into this world did indeed bring a new dimension to the meaning of love. Jesus’ love surpasses loving our family or even loving our neighbours; it includes loving our enemies. It is a love for those who simply don’t deserve it. And the coming of Jesus into the world raised the standard of love as never before. Nothing before or since has exemplified the costliness of love as the cross of Christ. Jesus washing his disciples feet was an act of love; but it was but the prelude to a much greater act of humiliation and service at Golgotha. This is a new command.

It is a wider command, encompassing not just Jewish neighbours but neighbours world-wide. It is a command which now has a perfect example for us to model ourselves on; higher levels of intensity and costliness and self-sacrifice, eclipsing anything which had ever been seen before. It is a new command in that it needs new power, the power of the Holy Spirit, if we are going to carry it out.

James Montgomery Boice: ‘The power is the power of the Holy Spirit, the life of the Lord Jesus Christ in each believer. Without it we cannot love as Christ loved; for such love cannot be achieved by human energy.’

Following this, Boice helpfully underlines the way in which Jesus perfectly embodies true love. Using the famous description in 1 Corinthians 13, Boice says: ‘Jesus is patient and Jesus is kind. He does not envy, he does not boast, he is not proud. Jesus is not rude, or self-seeking or easily angered. He keeps no record of wrongs. Jesus does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. Jesus always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres. In other words, Jesus is our great example of love. God is love and Jesus is God. It is also a humbling exercise to take this famous section of 1 Corinthians 13 and insert our own names in there. John is not rude, self-seeking or easily angered. This reminds me of how unlike Jesus I am, and how much I need the power of the Spirit in order to become more like my Master.’

2. What is authentic love?

If we are to be a ‘loving family’ in this church what does this look like? The last thing we want is a vague line in our vision statement which we read and then forget about. This needs to be lived out. This has to be practical. What is the standard of our love? What is the benchmark? If we ask someone to do work in our homes, whether an electrician, plumber or plasterer, we expect a high standard. Does Jesus have high standards for the way we love one another? ‘As I have loved you, so you must love one another.’   (John 13:34b) Wow. The standard could not be higher. The bar has been well and truly raised. We are to love one another in the same way that Jesus has loved us. That begs the question, how was that?

Jesus love was gracious. He loved those who did not deserve his love. It was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us. Jesus didn’t just teach ‘love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you’ but he did just that. ‘Father forgive them…’ A few days ago I was reading of Stephen, the first martyr. As Jesus had loved with such grace, so Stephen follows in the footsteps of his master. How does Stephen die? Praying for those who had stoned him: ‘Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep.’   (Acts 7:60)

It’s relatively easy to love those who love you back. God’s standards of love are far beyond that. ‘Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.’   (1 Peter 4:8) We all sin against one another in church and in our families. The question is, will we love and forgive one another at those times? Will we say, yes, you hurt me badly and deeply and many times, and what you did to me was serious and wrong. But I am going to respond in love. Here’s the honest truth – we cannot love with such grace without prayer – praying to ask God to fill us with this supernatural gracious love. But note this: this kind of love covers over a multitude of sins. This kind of love brings healing we never thought possible. This love is the love Jesus has given to you. Don’t you want to reflect that love? Don’t you want to love those who don’t deserve it? This is what Jesus commands.

Jesus love was gracious but it was also sacrificial. It cost him everything, quite literally. His love is shown by giving his life for others and dying in their place. The parable of the good Samaritan reminds us of the costliness of love. The Samaritan risks his own safety, spends his own money and uses up his own time in order to help another. Love is a costly business. It is self-denying. It looks beyond our own legitimate needs seeing the needs of others and meeting those needs, even though we have needs of our own. When was the last time you loved someone who didn’t deserve it? When was the last time you loved someone so that it cost you a great deal? Pray for such a love. Genuine love is gracious and cross-shaped. It extends well beyond loving those who we get on well with, to those who get on our nerves and try our patience.

3. What does Christ-like love prove?

V35 ‘By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’ Christ’s love shows that we are genuine Christians. We are not fake. “Christian” is more than a label for us. What will persuade other people that we are genuine about following Jesus? Jesus is crystal clear. Love is the most powerful witness: there is so little gracious and sacrificial love in this world. And yet, is this not the kind of thing everyone is looking for? People long for a community where there is forgiveness. Where burdens are shared and where there is unconditional love.

This kind of love turns the world upside-down: if people come into our church and after a few months they see resentment, hear gossip, see people more interested in how they are treated than they are in loving others, then this will do enormous damage to the church. This hypocrisy will repel people. If we are preaching about being reconciled with God but cannot get on with one another then no one will listen and rightly so.

The world’s love is seldom gracious and sacrificial, and so if we can listen to Jesus’ command and practice it, albeit imperfectly, then we will stand out and make a huge impact. People will realise that we know God and follow God because his love radiates out from us. ‘No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.’   (1 John 4:12) God is invisible, but if we love one another graciously, we in the church are like visual aids, demonstrating the reality of God to the world!

4. How can I take this sermon into the week ahead?

Part of our fallen human nature is that all too often we see ourselves as the centre of the universe, and everyone else are the satellites who revolve around us. We need to get far away from this kind of thinking.

First of all, we need to get to know one another better, which involves spending time with one another. We cannot love, support and care for one another if we don’t spend time together. As well as knowing one another, we need to notice the needs of others. So, we are not the kind of people who just talk about our own problems (though it is good to share). We have tea and coffee after the service, and it’s not all about us. We are asking others how they are, and if we can help them then we will. Are you a noticer? Or are you so blinkered by your own aches and pains and needs that truth be told, you seldom think of others? These same principles apply in our families, with our spouses and our children. In those relationships, you are asking yourself, how can I be a blessing to them?

JC Ryle: ‘Of all the commands of our Master, there is none which is so much talked about and so little obeyed as this. Yet if we mean anything when we profess to have charity and love toward all men, it ought to be seen in our tempers and our words, our bearing and our doing, our behaviour at home and abroad, our conduct in every relation of life. Specially, it ought to show itself forth in all our dealing with other Christians.’

Terry Johnson: ‘We’re commanded to love not because it’s easy, but because it isn’t….. do you want to be this kind of person? How does it happen? By the work of the Holy Spirit. This kind of love is the fruit of His presence in the life of a believer. He will make you a loving person. He will obliterate the selfishness and pride that keep getting in the way. He will transform your heart and fill it with compassion, charity, grace, and genuine care. This is the promise of the gospel.’

So, what is the most practical thing you can do if you want to become a more loving person? Keep praying for a heart like Jesus’ heart!