THE IMPROVING CHURCH
SERIES: Let the Church Be the Church
SERMON 5: The Improving Church
This is the fifth sermon in our series, Let the Church Be the Church. We have already discussed the infant church, the involved church, the invested church, and the immovable church. As we look at all these attributes of the early church, sometimes we might think, “Boy, they had it all together.” And to some degree, they did—but I believe, just like us, they had room to improve, room to grow, and room to get better.
Let’s also see ourselves as a people who need to improve. I am not there yet. As Paul said, I have not apprehended.
Philippians 3:12
“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”
Members of this church have not arrived. And we, as a complete body, have much room for improvement. So let’s look at what the early church did—especially its leaders—in the way of improving.
From the start, let’s be clear: they were not working to improve the gospel, because it was flawless. They were not working to improve the story of Christ. But they were working to improve how they conveyed it and how they lived it.
1: THEY IMPROVED IN HANDLING CONFLICT
In the book of Acts, we find a story involving Paul and Barnabas. These were men greatly used by God. Paul, the great missionary, pastor, and leader. Barnabas, his right-hand man—a preacher and encourager, especially to the Gentiles.
Together, they traveled, planted churches, and shook the world for Christ.
But then tension arose.
The issue was a young man named John Mark. His home had once been a meeting place for believers. He traveled with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, but during that journey, he left early. And now he had a reputation as someone who quit when things got hard.
Now Barnabas wants to give him another chance—but Paul disagrees.
Acts 15:39
“And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;”
This got heated. This was real conflict.
Barnabas took Mark, and Paul went another direction. But they agreed to disagree—and they did not let the conflict cancel the mission.
Instead of one team, now there are two. Instead of less work being done, now more can be accomplished.
Sometimes we think conflict means something is wrong. But conflict, when handled correctly, can stretch people, introduce new ideas, and open new doors.
If we think other churches don’t have conflict, our vision is skewed. Churches don’t post their problems on social media.
You don’t measure a church by the absence of conflict—you measure it by how it handles it.
What could have broken Paul and Barnabas actually broadened them and allowed them to do more.
2: THEY IMPROVED BY GIVING SECOND CHANCES
As we continue with John Mark, Paul and Barnabas had good reason to be concerned.
On the first journey, things got tough—and Mark quit and went home. Paul never forgot it.
Acts 15:38
“But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.”
Ministry is work. If we want to be respected in ministry, we must work the ministry. People want to ride in the parade, but nobody wants to build the float—and that should never be said of leaders in the church.
Mark wanted to be on the team—but he avoided the hard work. That’s why Paul didn’t trust him. He wasn’t ready. He wasn’t reliable.
But the gospel did for Mark what it does for all of us—it changed him.
The gospel changes us, though not always in the same way or at the same pace. But it works from the inside out and prepares us for our purpose.
God was working on Mark. And at the same time, God was working on Paul.
Listen to what Paul wrote about forgiveness:
Ephesians 4:32
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
Colossians 3:13
“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
As Paul wrote these words, no doubt God was working on his own heart.
Paul grew. Mark grew.
And Paul went from a hard “no” to a changed heart.
2 Timothy 4:11
“Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.”
That is a second chance at its best.
To be an improving church, we must learn to change our hearts and minds about people.
Don’t freeze people in their failures. Yes, sin must be addressed. Yes, issues must be resolved. But don’t make a permanent decision about someone based on a temporary season.
POINT #3: THEY IMPROVED IN FORGIVENESS
Now we move from conflict and second chances into forgiveness.
In the book of Philemon, we meet a man named Onesimus. He was a servant who had wronged his master, Philemon. He broke trust, ran away—perhaps even stole—and ended up crossing paths with Paul.
He heard the gospel, and he got saved. God changed his heart. He became a new man.
And then Paul did something powerful—he sent him back.
He wrote a letter to Philemon asking him to forgive Onesimus for the gospel’s sake, because now they were brothers in Christ.
Philemon 1:15–16
“For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;
Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?”
Then Paul says:
Philemon 1:17
“If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.”
Paul is saying—if you are in fellowship with me, and I am in fellowship with him, then receive him the same way you would receive me.
In other words, don’t treat him based on what he did—treat him based on what he has become.
That is forgiveness.
Forgiveness is not pretending it didn’t happen—it is choosing to relate to people through grace rather than their failure.
The same mercy we expect is the same mercy we must extend.
CONCLUSION
This early church—and especially its leaders—improved in biblical ways.
They handled conflict. They didn’t walk away from the mission—they used conflict to do more for Christ.
They gave second chances. When we think a second chance is enough, Jesus told us to forgive seventy times seven.
They forgave—because they had been forgiven.
God did not improve the gospel—but He improved people’s understanding of it, and how they lived it out.
And if we are going to be the church…
We must keep improving too.
SERMON 5: The Improving Church
This is the fifth sermon in our series, Let the Church Be the Church. We have already discussed the infant church, the involved church, the invested church, and the immovable church. As we look at all these attributes of the early church, sometimes we might think, “Boy, they had it all together.” And to some degree, they did—but I believe, just like us, they had room to improve, room to grow, and room to get better.
Let’s also see ourselves as a people who need to improve. I am not there yet. As Paul said, I have not apprehended.
Philippians 3:12
“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”
Members of this church have not arrived. And we, as a complete body, have much room for improvement. So let’s look at what the early church did—especially its leaders—in the way of improving.
From the start, let’s be clear: they were not working to improve the gospel, because it was flawless. They were not working to improve the story of Christ. But they were working to improve how they conveyed it and how they lived it.
1: THEY IMPROVED IN HANDLING CONFLICT
In the book of Acts, we find a story involving Paul and Barnabas. These were men greatly used by God. Paul, the great missionary, pastor, and leader. Barnabas, his right-hand man—a preacher and encourager, especially to the Gentiles.
Together, they traveled, planted churches, and shook the world for Christ.
But then tension arose.
The issue was a young man named John Mark. His home had once been a meeting place for believers. He traveled with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, but during that journey, he left early. And now he had a reputation as someone who quit when things got hard.
Now Barnabas wants to give him another chance—but Paul disagrees.
Acts 15:39
“And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;”
This got heated. This was real conflict.
Barnabas took Mark, and Paul went another direction. But they agreed to disagree—and they did not let the conflict cancel the mission.
Instead of one team, now there are two. Instead of less work being done, now more can be accomplished.
Sometimes we think conflict means something is wrong. But conflict, when handled correctly, can stretch people, introduce new ideas, and open new doors.
If we think other churches don’t have conflict, our vision is skewed. Churches don’t post their problems on social media.
You don’t measure a church by the absence of conflict—you measure it by how it handles it.
What could have broken Paul and Barnabas actually broadened them and allowed them to do more.
2: THEY IMPROVED BY GIVING SECOND CHANCES
As we continue with John Mark, Paul and Barnabas had good reason to be concerned.
On the first journey, things got tough—and Mark quit and went home. Paul never forgot it.
Acts 15:38
“But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.”
Ministry is work. If we want to be respected in ministry, we must work the ministry. People want to ride in the parade, but nobody wants to build the float—and that should never be said of leaders in the church.
Mark wanted to be on the team—but he avoided the hard work. That’s why Paul didn’t trust him. He wasn’t ready. He wasn’t reliable.
But the gospel did for Mark what it does for all of us—it changed him.
The gospel changes us, though not always in the same way or at the same pace. But it works from the inside out and prepares us for our purpose.
God was working on Mark. And at the same time, God was working on Paul.
Listen to what Paul wrote about forgiveness:
Ephesians 4:32
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
Colossians 3:13
“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
As Paul wrote these words, no doubt God was working on his own heart.
Paul grew. Mark grew.
And Paul went from a hard “no” to a changed heart.
2 Timothy 4:11
“Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.”
That is a second chance at its best.
To be an improving church, we must learn to change our hearts and minds about people.
Don’t freeze people in their failures. Yes, sin must be addressed. Yes, issues must be resolved. But don’t make a permanent decision about someone based on a temporary season.
POINT #3: THEY IMPROVED IN FORGIVENESS
Now we move from conflict and second chances into forgiveness.
In the book of Philemon, we meet a man named Onesimus. He was a servant who had wronged his master, Philemon. He broke trust, ran away—perhaps even stole—and ended up crossing paths with Paul.
He heard the gospel, and he got saved. God changed his heart. He became a new man.
And then Paul did something powerful—he sent him back.
He wrote a letter to Philemon asking him to forgive Onesimus for the gospel’s sake, because now they were brothers in Christ.
Philemon 1:15–16
“For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;
Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?”
Then Paul says:
Philemon 1:17
“If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.”
Paul is saying—if you are in fellowship with me, and I am in fellowship with him, then receive him the same way you would receive me.
In other words, don’t treat him based on what he did—treat him based on what he has become.
That is forgiveness.
Forgiveness is not pretending it didn’t happen—it is choosing to relate to people through grace rather than their failure.
The same mercy we expect is the same mercy we must extend.
CONCLUSION
This early church—and especially its leaders—improved in biblical ways.
They handled conflict. They didn’t walk away from the mission—they used conflict to do more for Christ.
They gave second chances. When we think a second chance is enough, Jesus told us to forgive seventy times seven.
They forgave—because they had been forgiven.
God did not improve the gospel—but He improved people’s understanding of it, and how they lived it out.
And if we are going to be the church…
We must keep improving too.
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