And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved (Acts 2:42-47).
"Sounds like a cult." I've been trusting in Jesus for about 25 years, but there's a part of me, when I interact with this passage, that still responds in that way. I think that part of the reason for such is that on the surface there are some similarities. The early church was a tight-knit group, people were enamored with the things that the leaders were doing, they sold their stuff when joining in, it grew quickly, and the members drank some special punch underneath an amazing double rainbow. OK, forget the last part. But really, the similarities are there.
Of course there are some differences too (even though I know we're dealing with stereotypes in doing a comparison/contrast). Nobody in the church was claiming to be the messiah because many of them had seen theirs teach, do miracles, die, reappear in the flesh, and ascend to Heaven. No one was getting rich off of the money that was going into the proceeds pot; the money was being distributed to the needy through the willful giving of the members. The members still had houses (groups often met in them). It didn't (and hasn't) come to some strange tragic end. And God was receiving the praise from all the people equally, while the physically absent but spiritually present Jesus added new people to the group every day.
No, the church is not some double rainbow club. In some ways though we probably look a little more like one now than they did back then. Sometimes we're more fake today, huddling together on Sunday mornings barely knowing what we believe, building a kingdom here instead of storing up treasures in heaven through worshipful sacrificial living in rich, meaningful community. We've lost much of our sense of awe and wonder over who God is and the grace He has given. We're often more about self motivation than God motivation. We're not going to be just like them in the way of ancient culture and apostle-based leadership, but we have the same Lord, we can grow in loving community, and we can show through our lives that eternity is bigger than now.
"Sounds like a cult." I've been trusting in Jesus for about 25 years, but there's a part of me, when I interact with this passage, that still responds in that way. I think that part of the reason for such is that on the surface there are some similarities. The early church was a tight-knit group, people were enamored with the things that the leaders were doing, they sold their stuff when joining in, it grew quickly, and the members drank some special punch underneath an amazing double rainbow. OK, forget the last part. But really, the similarities are there.
Of course there are some differences too (even though I know we're dealing with stereotypes in doing a comparison/contrast). Nobody in the church was claiming to be the messiah because many of them had seen theirs teach, do miracles, die, reappear in the flesh, and ascend to Heaven. No one was getting rich off of the money that was going into the proceeds pot; the money was being distributed to the needy through the willful giving of the members. The members still had houses (groups often met in them). It didn't (and hasn't) come to some strange tragic end. And God was receiving the praise from all the people equally, while the physically absent but spiritually present Jesus added new people to the group every day.
No, the church is not some double rainbow club. In some ways though we probably look a little more like one now than they did back then. Sometimes we're more fake today, huddling together on Sunday mornings barely knowing what we believe, building a kingdom here instead of storing up treasures in heaven through worshipful sacrificial living in rich, meaningful community. We've lost much of our sense of awe and wonder over who God is and the grace He has given. We're often more about self motivation than God motivation. We're not going to be just like them in the way of ancient culture and apostle-based leadership, but we have the same Lord, we can grow in loving community, and we can show through our lives that eternity is bigger than now.
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