All the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity -- all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
That passage, part of today's reading, has always been a favorite of mine, and I admit to having a somewhat romantic notion about its practicality. It describes an ideal communal living situation. When I was in college I thought it would be fantastic if I could gather together a bunch of believers, buy a big ol' house somewhere, and we could all live as these early Christians did. Verse 47 even seems to promise that living in such a manner would naturally cause non-believers to become Christians and join in.
In my twenties, I had several roommates who were Christians. I assumed that because they were Christians they would be easy to live with. We would all get along fantastically, we'd pray together, we'd have Bible studies in our apartment, we'd be just like those early Christians.
In reality, it didn't always work out. One roommate drove me crazy with his odd little habits, and his refusal to actually keep the place clean. Another stole from me, lied to me frequently, and seemed determined to make my life miserable until I finally moved out. These were Christians! How could they be like that?
In the history of the United States, there have been many attempts to form utopian communities -- little towns and villages made up of like-minded people. Few lasted. Most dissolved from external pressures and internal conflicts.
Wherever we go, there we are. And there we bring our sinful nature as well. It's a constant struggle to keep that sin nature in line. It goes with us everywhere, threatening to destroy everything we build and every relationship we have.
But here's the amazing thing: living in community worked for those early Christians, and they were sinners, too.
When we read on in today's reading, we see Peter and John healing a man by the Temple gate and preaching to the crowd with power and authority. This is the same Peter who denied Jesus on the day of his crucifixion. But something's changed in him. This is a very different sort of Peter than the one we read about in the gospels. This is a new Peter -- a Peter empowered by the Holy Spirit. And that same gift of the Holy Spirit has been given to us as well.
We don't have to live together under the same roof or even in the same town to have the same effectiveness as the early Christians did. We can worship together, pray together, we can reach out to help each other during difficult times, and we can reach out to those around us who are in need. We can demonstrate what it means to live as a true community of believers.
Because wherever we go, there we are, and there we bring Jesus as well.
-Drew Clausen
1 comment:
Just to add to your thoughts-- which need no addition, but, oh well--- One thing that I discovered as a 'new' Christian was that there was a difference in being around true believers then just church attenders. That is why I am not in the church I was raised in and stayed in way too long. There is something really spiritually connecting that goes right to your heart and soul when you discover another Christian- another believer in just ordinary places. You can tell where they are coming from by what they say and how they say it and what they refer to. It is an instant recognition that maybe is somewhat like what early Christians experienced when they would meet one another in secret etc. We do not have to slink around but in our work places or in social places it is so breathtaking when you discover that a person you just met has this connection to you that is far more then the usual data we seek ( how many kids?, what do you do for a living etc.) It is also so uplifting to be in a church such as BLB where you know that those that you worship with share in a convicted belief and in a strog desire for God. Yes, I know that this is not always true but it is far more true then many other places and sadly in many other churches.
I hope that we can all understand how blessed we are to be given the truth each Sunday and not just interesting stories or politically correct observations. We are so blessed to have a church that remains in Jesus, always focusing on him in all things.
Worshipping God, praying, reading about him and listening to what he has to say from his word is a gift. I cannot think of a better place to be in this world.
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