The the first Christians were distinguished in their culture by the nature of their relationships with one other. There were no external markers that set them apart; they didn't look any different, walk or talk any different than their peers. They did not have Christian t-shirts, ties or bumper stickers, lace or leather Bible covers, Christian radio or television stations, or political action committees. They had no specifically Christian gathering place, so a Christian couldn't be marked merely by going there. Their new devotion to Christ propelled them into the kind of relationships Jesus himself had predicted when he said, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35) That love set them apart, and drew people to them--and to Christ--in large numbers. It was expressed in several pursuits described for us in Acts 2:42-47:
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who 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, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
This is the clearest and most direct description of day-to-day Christian living we have in the Bible. And it was day-to-day, not Sunday-to-Sunday. The first Christians were in constant contact with one another, always aware of their fellow Christians' lives and circumstances; they shared both joys and sorrows, devoted themselves to spiritual growth as a group, took care of one another, and just enjoyed life together. At the Springs, we sum up the activities of Acts 2:42-47 in four functions we are committed to pursuing: Belong, Grow, Serve, and Play.
Several conditions are required to live the Christ-life as they did in the first century church: daily or almost daily interaction, some of which is rather unplanned; proximity, which is necessary for daily interaction; and casual meeting places (in the text, the Temple courts, which could be compared to a public square, and their homes). Even though there were thousands of Christians in Jerusalem in Acts 2, they were not gathering by thousands, but rather by dozens. The Acts 2 church was not primarily congregational; in fact, the four functions aren't really possible in a congregational setting. Things are just different in a large crowd. You can feel like you're a part of something at an Astros game, but you don't have the same sense of belonging as the team members do; you can eat a chili dog at Minute Maid Park, but no one would say it has the same sense of connectivity as a family meal.
We tend to think that large, expensive, produced events and programs are necessary for effective ministry. The world-changing activities of the early church were the exact opposite. Christ-life was in the neighborhood. I believe it still is. In my next post, I'll begin to unpack what that life might look like as we pursue the four functions together. But for today, I'll leave you with this quote from the great 19th century pastor and author E.M. Bounds; his words are 100+ years old, but as true today as ever:
We are constantly on a stretch, if not on a strain, to devise new methods, new plans, new organizations to advance the church and secure enlargement and efficiency for the gospel. This trend of the day has a tendency to lose sight of the man or sink the man in the plan or organization. God's plan is to make much of the man, far more of him than anything else. Men are God's method. The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men... . What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Spirit can use - men of prayer, mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men.
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