‘Church,’ as a distinct social entity was born on Pentecost day. You put your finger on how those who loved Jesus “were all together in one place,” (Acts 2:1) and then flip back through the Gospels, and our Lord is shown building a community in preparation for there being ‘church.’ Then the Holy Spirit falls, enabling what Jesus had planned to be manifested. Moving forward through the early chapters of Acts we see the evidence of the institution forming and seeking to put into practice what Jesus wanted for his people. I use the word ‘authenticity’ to group the three actions that mark the early church: a passionate love for God, the deliberate performance of mission in their context, and the intentional formation of a loving community. Acts 2:41-47 and, to a lesser degree, the great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) becomes the home base for any discussions about changing the church or seeking renewal in the Holy Spirit.

            Church leaders should note how the three aspects of Authenticity (Passion, Mission, Community) are manifested in these verses. What comparisons can you make between the early church and your church? How does the postmodern culture’s emphasis on authenticity demand changes in our institution?

Context: The Pentecost day experience of the Holy Spirit relates to spiritual passion.

            Application: How does your church exhibit the four lift points of spiritual passion? The lift points are: Praying with Expectation, Reading Scripture with Relevance, Witnessing with Joy, and Worshiping in a way that utilizes the emotional aspect of our relationship with God.

Verse 42: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…” relates to spiritual passion and the reading of scripture with relevance.

            Application: The apostles taught by telling the stories of Jesus, describing their personal relationship with him, and showing how what Jesus said and did was relevant to today. Do the key leaders of your church handle scripture this way?

Verse 42b, 44-46: “and to the fellowship… All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts…” relates to the loving and authentic nature of the early church’s communal life. They spent sufficient time together to know each other. They demonstrated their love for each other in sacrificial ways. The early church understood Jesus’ desire to build community.

            Application: Are most of your church members participants in some type of small group were they actually come to know each other and support each other’s faith?

Verse 42c “to the breaking of bread and to prayer” continues to speak about community formation, but also connects it to two of spiritual passion’s lift points, worship and prayer.

            Application: The various aspects of authenticity form a seamless whole. Does your church plan its fellowship activities so that they help people to love God more and its teaching groups so that they help people enter into real fellowship? Are your outreach and mission projects integrated with your efforts to build spiritual passion and loving community?

Verse 43: “Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.” Also relates to spiritual passion. Signs and wonders are occasional gifts of God’s grace, not rewards for getting it right or ends in themselves. Jesus seems to imply that they are rare when spiritual passion is low (see Matthew 13:58).

            Application: When was the last time you experienced ‘awe’ in your church?

 

Verse 44: “praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”  One of a congregation’s most valuable assets is its reputation in the community. Churches become marginalized and deemed irrelevant when they don’t authentically work to transform their neighborhood or engage in their particular mission. The daily addition of new members relates to spiritual passion and the willingness of a people to witness. Outreach without witness rarely improves a church’s visibility. Witness without outreach strikes people as shallow and lacking in compassion. The point is not to imitate the early church’s statistical growth, but rather their transformative power.

            Application: How does your church offer a cup of water in Jesus’ name to its neighbors? (Mark 9:41)