28th April 2023
Acts in action
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, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
(Acts 2:46-47 NIVUK)
Acts is my favourite book of the Bible. The excitement and possibilities highlighted enthuse and animate me. We see people transformed by the Holy Spirit who, as a result, sacrifice their lives to serve God. Personal hardship and persecution are not seen as an obstacle as Christians are so on fire for Jesus that their proclaiming of him cannot be stopped. This infectious sharing of faith leads to a rapid expansion of the church.
One summer I felt like I was living out the book of Acts as I baptised people three days in a row. I mention this now because it is an exception, and not the usual course of my ministry. Generally, I do not see people joining the church every day, so it can be easy to think that what we read in Acts is an historical document that contains events that cannot be replicated in our modern age. But why would God have wanted it to be in the Bible if it is so irrelevant to people living after that time? Acts could perhaps even become a source of discouragement as we look around our churches and see a different reality.
However, what if we did devote ourselves to the things the early church did (v.42)? What if we did ask God for miracles (v.43)? What if we did share our possessions with others to the extent that no one in our church was in need (vv.44-45)? What if we did meet our brothers and sisters in the Lord for worship every day (v.46)? What if we did meet in each other’s homes daily for praise, communion and sharing meals (vv.46-47)? It’s easy to discount what the early church did as things that are not practical or appropriate now, while at the same time lamenting that we are not seeing the presence of God and growth in our congregations in the same way as recorded in Acts. Perhaps the two go together, and that if we had the same fire and zeal that the church in Acts did, perhaps if our priorities were the same as theirs, then perhaps we would see the results they did. Maybe we should give it a go and see what happens…
Prayer
Father, we know that all elements of church life and growth are in your hands, and there’s nothing we can do to manipulate you and expect a certain result. However, if there is anything we should learn from the life of the early church, please show us, so that we can live as you want us to. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Study by Anthony Dady
About the writer:
Anthony Dady is a minister in Grace Communion International and is the Regional Pastor for Wales, the Midlands, and Northern England.
Local congregation:
GCI Northampton
Ecton Village Hall
78A High Street
Ecton
Northampton
NN6 0QB
Local congregational contact:
Maggie Mitchell
Email: maggie.mitchell@btinternet.com
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church