“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
At the beginning of the book of Acts, Jesus gives his apostles and all who would follow, a command to take what they’d seen and heard, and be witness to those things in all the world. For all intents and purposes, this would signify the beginning of the Christian Church. This group of ragtag Jewish apprentices would take that command and create a blueprint for the Church that would be passed down from generation-to-generation, and the body of believers would blossom into a world-wide phenomenon of people from every tribe and tongue. But in the age of declining church attendance, and an increase of those who claim to be irreligious, do we face an existential crisis of unbelief due to outdated orthodoxy, or can the Church be all that it was meant to be from the time Christ left us with His story to tell?
I believe that God’s plan for the Church was perfect when penned in the first century A.D., and I believe that the tenets that were laid out in The Acts of the Apostles can still be stood upon as firmly as one stands upon the rock on which he builds his house. What we face in this empirical crisis of faith is as much a straying by the “church” in many directions from the original intent of scripture as it is the result of crumbling societal mores. It’s a watering down or adding to of the Biblical design for the Church as originally brought to bear by the apostles through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In an alarmingly increasing number of cases, we can go so far as to say that heresy has become the modern-day leaven that threatens to spoil the bunch, with certain church bodies choosing to spurn Biblical doctrine in exchange for societal bliss.
So, how do we return to God’s perfect design for His Church and be witnesses once again to His glory to the ends of the earth? I believe that the key is to stick with the Acts.
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”
As the old joke goes: “How do we know there were cars in biblical times? Because the apostles were all in one Accord.” Haha — very funny! All jokes aside, when the first chapter of Acts speaks of the apostles being in one accord, along with Jesus’s mother Mary and His brothers, it’s not speaking of merely being in close physical proximity to one another, but rather a state of being single or like-minded. How do I know? Well—for two reasons. The first is that some variation of the phrase “with one accord” can be found eleven times in the book of Acts. The Bible doesn’t make a habit of disseminating useless information, so it would stand to reason that God has every intent of conveying some powerful truth through the continued use of this statement.
The second reason is that elsewhere in scripture (Romans 15:5 for instance), it tells us to be, “like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Seems pretty straight forward to me. According to Jesus Christ, we the Church are intended to be like-minded with one another so that we can glorify God our Father. And, how do we glorify God? One major way is by sharing the good news that His Son Jesus Christ died on the cross to save humanity from our sins, which we can only do if we’re of one accord. No one wants to hear a message of salvation from a group of people who can’t even agree on whether there will be dogs and cats in Heaven. Another joke, of course, but this is how ridiculous some of the discourse has become. This is not to say that we’ll always agree on every small area of contention, but we must agree on the most important points of biblical doctrine, and present a united front to the rest of the unbelieving world.
So, how do we find unity and settle our disagreements for the betterment of unbelievers? In many ways, as we’ll see, but let’s start with one of the most pivotal.
“These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”
There is no more personal act on earth than the act of connecting your heart to God through individual prayer. It’s a lifeline between Kingdom men and woman living in this world and the God who redeemed them by the blood of His Son. It allows us the opportunity to thank Him for His goodness, to seek His guidance on how we should live in this place and time, and to make our requests known to Him.
But prayer can also be corporate; when the Church seeks God as a unified body with the purpose of understanding the role of the Church on this earth. Just like with individual prayer, we should thank God for the ongoing work He’s doing in and around our community of believers, seek His guidance on how the Church can reach the unbelieving, and make requests for the furtherance and betterment of the flock and those we seek to serve.
Prayer is pivotal, and opens the door to God’s grace, goodwill, and lovingkindness, as well as ushering in God’s power through the work of His Holy Spirit, as seen in Acts 4:31. A praying Church has the power to thwart the most wicked plans of the prince of darkness, to move mountains in accordance with God’s good will, and to plant a seed of salvation in the hardest of human hearts. It has the power to stir up revival, bridge the divide between Heaven and Earth, and prepare workers for the bountiful harvest. And, to use an antiquated quote, the Church that prays together, stays together.
When God’s people come together and pray with purpose, in power, something divinely spiritual starts to move in our midst. How could it not? Humble prayer gives us unfettered access to the Holy of Holies; the throne room of Almighty God, who makes His dwelling place in the hearts of those who call Him Abba, Father.
But, if prayer is the way we reach God with the aroma our collective hearts’ desires, how then might He respond to those desires?
“Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.”
I’ve heard it said that the Scriptures are God’s love letter to His people. When you consider the message of God’s Word, that’s certainly true, in part. The Scriptures are also a declaration of who God is and His perfect plan for the course of all human history. The most heartbreaking thing to see in our day is people who are lost, scared, and confused about what’s going on in the world, with the Truth of God’s plan for humanity just an Amazon click away. Many of us have also likely heard our pastor quip at one time or another that we may be the only Bible someone reads.
Jesus left the Church with the command to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19 & 20) We can’t make disciples of all nations without the inspired Word of God. As a Church, we must be rooted in scripture and bound to the doctrine set forth between “In the beginning…” and “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
Too many church communities, and individual believers, are beginning to take the parts they like from scripture, add in their own beliefs to fit a changing culture, and create a mixture of unholy doctrine that they then present to the world as God’s word. The Proverbs warn that, “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.” We don’t need to add to God’s Word, because His Word does exactly what He intended it to do from the moment He first inspired forty separate authors to jot down what He had laid heavy upon their hearts. He speaks clearly on this in Isaiah 55, when He says, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Those who consider themselves members of this community of believers, but who are profaning God’s Word, need a few moments of reflection and repentance and then they need return to the infallible Word of the God of Grace.
For the rest of us, God’s Word is our foundation. With the assistance of the Holy Spirit, it illuminates the knowable attributes of our Father God; the ones He sees fit to shine a light on, here and now, given the carnal capacity of our current understanding. It also outlines His preprepared plan for the existence of humanity on this celestial ball that we call our temporary home and His ultimate plan of salvation for those who put their faith in His Beloved Son. There is no plan or purpose to life outside of what God has predefined in His Holy Scriptures.
As a Church, we must rely upon the power of scripture to speak into the depths of a hard and unrepentant heart. No amount of money spent on extracurricular activities, laser light shows, or loud music can move a spirit towards eternal sustenance in the way that God’s Good and Grace-filled Word can. And, certainly, no self-reliant intellectual has the power to preach the “knowledge of God” apart from His Holy Word.
But, if God’s Word holds the power to unlock a calloused heart, how do we as believers earn the right to share the Scriptures with an unbelieving world?
“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
Have you ever passed by a street preacher in New York City or London, or down in the subway of some other metropolitan area somewhere in the world? They stand with microphone and speaker, shouting exhortations to the world as it passes by hurriedly traveling from one obligation to another without so much as a glance in their direction. Occasionally, someone with a cursory knowledge of Scripture from a Sunday school class they were forced to attend long ago, might stop and shout them down. I give them all the credit in the world for their bravery and desire to share the Truth of God’s Word with a withering world. In fact, some of history’s greatest evangelists began their ministry in this very fashion. And, don’t get me wrong, God will use any method He chooses to reach the lost and lonely. But, as we see in the book of Acts, the best method for earning exclusive entrance into the life of a nonbeliever is by first inviting them to fellowship with us.
The recent history of the Church will tell a tale of an exclusive group of insiders who set the rules for entrance into this restricted fraternity of special believers. Just follow our rules and you’re in. Does that sound like the type of Church that you want to belong to? It certainly doesn’t sound appealing to me. Again, don’t misunderstand—I’m not advocating for the condoning of unrepentant sin within the body, but rather raising the question of whether the Church should look more like the congregation of sinners and screwups that gathered around Jesus when He walked this earth. And, hey, friendly reminder, if you want to see what a sinner looks like just glance in a mirror.
This is not an attempt to shame anyone, but as a Church, we need to be inviting people into fellowship with us. People from all backgrounds and walks of life. People who don’t look like us, don’t talk like us, and don’t act like us. As Galatians 3:28 points out, in God’s Kingdom “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” The Church needs to make clear to the unworthy and the unwanted that when the world says you don’t belong, you have a home amongst believers in the God who numbered every hair on your head.
So, if fellowship with those outside of our immediate community is the pathway to a redeemed and repentant heart, where do we begin?
“… there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution… seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business… ”
The obvious answer to the question posed in the previous section is, “everywhere with everyone.” Our fellowship should extend to anyone covered, implicitly and explicitly, in Paul’s explanation of those who can enter into relationship with Jesus Christ. That would be your neighbor, your coworker, or the man you share a “Go Birds!” with on your daily Dunkin run. But, a fantastic place to start is with people who are marginalized, neglected, and in need of a helping hand. In a hurting and broken world, God’s Church should be at the tip of the spear, penetrating the dark alleys and avenues where the most vulnerable and ignored in society make their dwelling place. The drug addict, disabled person, widow, orphan, mentally ill, and poor person is an outcast from society, but a brother or sister to those who know the healing power in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
In his letter to the Galatians, when speaking of James, Cephas, and John, Paul proclaims that, “They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.” Paul understood that those who know God’s heart, put on display when Immanuel entered the messy melodrama of human existence, have no choice but to see those on the fringes of society as worthy of the same love given to all who have an encounter with the Living God.
Over the centuries, the Church has been responsible for establishing hospitals and schools, for caring for the widowed and orphaned, for advocating for social justice, for meeting needs wherever they exist, and most importantly for bringing the hope of restoration to those who hear and heed the call of the Author of our Salvation. Why do so many now just send a check and hope that God will choose others to help with the harvest? Don’t misunderstand—funding is important to any benevolent venture—but what God really wants is our hearts and our hands laid to the plow. In Matthew 25:37-40, Jesus describes an exchange with His sheep during the judgement of nations by saying, “for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me,” and when the righteous answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”
As the Church, we have an obligation to be hope to the hopeless, a beacon of light to the lost, and love in a world so full of death, destruction, and hate. Jesus’ ministry on earth involved the healing of hearts, the quenching of thirst, and the restoration of withered hands, to show that He possesses the true power as God incarnate. News flash: He still possesses that power to this day. Only today He does His mighty works through a patchwork of people He calls His bride, the Church. Those of us who hold in our hearts the key to true and lasting change must lead the charge.
But, we’re only human we may say. How do we as a Church ensure that we remain devoted to the apostles’ plan and in possession of the power of the Prince of Life?
“Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
In one of history’s greatest dramatic masterpieces, William Shakespeare famously scribed the line, “What’s in a name?” His intention was to imply that a name is just a name, carrying little prominence in and of itself, and that it’s the character of an individual that determines their intrinsic value. While predominantly true, there is One whose name matches their character in power and potency; the name of Jesus Christ, God’s only son. Romans 10:13 demonstrates that power when it says, “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” At the mere mention of the name of Christ, demons quake, the lame rise to their feet, and hearts are eternally transformed. Philippians 2:9-11 says, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
In the modern Church era, we must remember whose name carries the power to leave an everlasting imprint on human lives. Some in the Church today tote around the attitude that God can’t carry out His work without their efforts. That’s the sin of pride, and we all know that pride in our own abilities, importance, or stature comes before a mighty fall. Many modern Church leaders have experienced this, and many more will if they continue to elevate themselves to a status reserved exclusively for the One who has numbered the stars in the night’s sky.
It’s in Jesus’s name, and His name alone, that we must deliver the message of redemption to a world starving for truth and hungry for eternal hope. As Acts 4:12 states, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Once our focus shifts away from the Name above all names, our message becomes one of self-gratification and we miss the mark on fulfilling our great calling of making disciples of all nations; not our disciples, but His.
So, at this point, you may be asking the question, “How can we possibly keep all these things in mind as we focus on building God’s Church here on earth.” The answer is simple and complex, at the same time. We don’t go it alone.
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
You’ve likely heard the old saying, “Where God guides, He provides.” We hear those things so often that they sometimes sound like bumper sticker Christianity, but the reality is that God never leads us and then leaves us. If we’re doing the work of the Lord, He promises us a Helper in the form of His Holy Spirit. John 14:15-16 says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper; that He may abide with you forever.” The task of seeking and planting the seed of salvation in the hearts of a lost and dying world seems daunting, until we realize that the work of the Holy Spirit precedes anything that we are called to do in the service of the Lord. In fact, our job is easy in that we’re only responsible for sharing what God has done in and through our lives. Harkening back to the beginning of Acts and the start of this post, Jesus tells us that, “…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” A witness only shares the things they’ve seen and heard, but it’s the work of the Holy Spirit to stir a heart to salvation. As a Church, we need to pray together, teach the Word of God, care for the lost and broken hearted, rely on the power of Jesus’s name, and then let the power of the Holy Spirit move in peoples’ lives. When we determine to do that, what we’ll see is what the apostles saw in their day…
“So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” – Acts 2:46 & 47
You guessed it. The result of a Church that’s aligned with the purposes and power of God, and determined to carry out His will exclusively, will experience exponential growth. Is growth the goal? Of course it is! Not for the sake of growth in and of itself, but because our purpose for continued existence on this earth as His body of believers is to fulfill Jesus’s on words in Matthew 28:19 when He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” That’s why as Jesus’s disciples continued to live the life they were taught and experienced firsthand through the living Gospel, “… the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”
If this truth makes you uneasy, then it’s possible that you must strike exclusivity from your understanding of who God will and will not accept into the body that He calls His Church. Or, maybe you’re just an advocate of the small church experience, which also misses the mark when it comes to how we’re to approach evangelism and the sharing of God’s Good News. Don’t read this wrong, as again I’m not advocating for the mega church experience in every sub-body of believers, but rather a mighty movement of the power of God and His Holy Spirit to bring revival and stir many hearts to salvation. This is big “C” exponential addition, rather than a small “c” big church boom.
If it wasn’t meant to be this way, then we wouldn’t see examples of these explosions of growth in the ministry of the disciples (Acts 2:41), and we also wouldn’t see it in the ministry of Jesus, himself. But in the Gospels, as word begins to spread of this Jesus and His message to a lost and dying world, we continually see crowds of greater numbers following Him from place to place, eager to hear the Words that lead to eternal life. From pushing a boat out into the Lake of Gennesaret so that the many folks gathered could hear Him (Luke 5:1-11), to feeding five thousand men plus women and children (Matthew 14:13-21) with physical and spiritual sustenance, Jesus earthly ministry continually grew as a result of the mighty Hand of God reaching right into to their everyday lives and providing them the truth in faith, hope, and love that this world could never provide.
I can hear some of you saying, “But, we’re not Jesus and we don’t posses the power that He does!” To that I say, “Nonsense!” We’ve already covered that Christ calls us to share this precious Message with those in our neighborhood, across town, in another city, and to the ends of the earth. And, if He calls us to something with such monumental significance as sharing His Gospel, then He’ll equip us for the job at hand. And, how so? You already know the answer. As we’ve previously discussed, Jesus promised us the Spirit of God to be a helper in times such as these. In Deuteronomy 31:6, the promise is made that, “… the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” And, not only does God go with you, but if you’ve given Him governance over your life, then it is He who lives in you and through you. As Paul states in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Therefore, if God has equipped us with His Spirit, promised to never forsake us, and lives His life in and through us, wouldn’t it stand to reason that His power is at work through the one’s that He’s called to this very important mission. Again, to avoid any misunderstanding, I’m not saying that we’re on equal footing with the God of the Universe, or that we posses some power within our own carnal abilities, but only that the power of God moves in accordance with His plan, which involves human beings that He’s set free from the bondage of Sin through His Son, Jesus Christ.
So, Church, what will it be? Will we choose to write off centuries of Church orthodoxy as historically significant but not relevant for today, or do we believe that Christ’s intentions for those who would carry on His ministry on earth are to continue in the way laid out in the Acts of the Apostles? While God is still moving in new and significant ways, I believe that His truths remain objective and that His plan for the redemption of humanity remains unchanged. We must be introspective as a body of believers and decide that God’s thoughts and His plans will always be better than our own. We must return to the source of all truth, God’s scriptures, and ask God that His infallible Word help us be of one mind. We must rely on the power of prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to go before us as we seek to point the lost toward salvation. We must fellowship, in love, with one another, care for those with need, and do all of this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ. The result will be a mighty awakening, led by the God of the Universe, and resulting in many hearts being prepared for eternity with the One who set them free.