Sunday, September 4, 2011

A Community of Believers

Let's dream. Imagine that you were given an opportunity to join a community where you are able to easily connect to everyone in the community. You could share you ideas and dreams, visions, spiritual gifts, and regularly get what you need spiritually, emotionally, and materially. Furthermore, lets add that you would be a part of a community of people that were your extended family. Would you join that community? Would you feel comfortable being in that community on a regular bases? Would you regularly invite your friends and acquaintances to join you in that community? I would! My answer is yes to all of the above. Well, you get a sense of what it was like with the 1st century Church in Jerusalem. Acts 4:32 tells us that the community of believers were so unified in such away that God add daily to there numbers. Why? Because they behaved like the true church. They were grace filled-meaning the love of God was strong in their hearts and they were sold-out to the idea of a community where the power & the presence of God was evident. Sounds crazy? It's not! The Old Testament believers lived in that kind of community. They were officially called "The Children of Israel."  They were known as the people of God. And yes there were requirements to live in that community, and the requirement can be reduced to one word: Obedience! The only requirement then and now to live in that kind of community is obedience to the will, plan, and purpose of God. Let me conclude by saying I want to live in that community now! The 21 century Church will need to be grace filled in order to be relevant in the 21 century. We all have spiritual, emotional, and material needs, and God promises to meet all of our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. But here is the kicker, he meets all of those needs through the Church- the people of God. Uncaring Christians will soon become irrelevant in this ever changing world. Why? Because talk is cheap.  We can't just point people to an invisible God and say he's going to solve all of your problems. He has equipped the Church with power, boldness, and favor.  These three characteristics is all that the church need to do greater work.

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