Past or present — or just confused?

As my reading moves through the development of the church, I cannot help but compare that early ideal with the church of today. Attending many different variations and taking two years of church history has been educational but not always filled with happy discoveries. If ten people were asked about church and their opinion of it, the answers could vary from ‘the best thing in my life’ to a streak of cussing.

Both those first Christians and today’s believers are persecuted. Is it for the same reasons? Or has Christianity experienced changes that warrant some of today’s negative attitudes?

In the beginning, Christians were called members of the Way, likely based on Jesus’ words: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Then a believer called Barnabas teamed up with Saul (Paul) and worked together in Antioch until that church was thriving. It was here that believers were first called Christians. (Acts 11:26)

This name stuck. About then, some Jewish religious leaders believed in Jesus, but many began saying ‘NO WAY’ as they rejected faith in Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation. They clung to a belief system that they thought gave them opportunity to earn the favor of God by their own goodness. This is a major belief today yet an interesting thing happens with that belief — when those who hold it find out that their goodness is not giving them what they seek, they often move away from any religious beliefs.

The other options include saying God is dead or a myth, that sin is just a word, and there is no need for forgiveness, or salvation, and there is no afterlife. This nihilistic approach fails to satisfy the heart but some think it explains life and offers an way out of spiritual considerations.

However, the ‘organized church’ also has slid from salvation by faith into a philosophy of human reasoning with a first step of saying no to the idea that all have sinned and cannot please God by our own efforts. Instead of accepting Christ as the Way but not wanting to deny spirituality, sections of the ‘church’ stepped on a slippery slope where Christianity became a status, a thing to claim — going to church became a ‘respectable’ thing to do. In the Americas, believing in Jesus was much like saying “I believe in apple pie and the flag.” In other words, the condition of the heart does not matter because outward appearance is good enough. If people went to church, they seemed to be good people. Over many years, the church divided into people who genuinely follow Christ and those who just go. However, the Bible says:

But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his and let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” (2 Timothy 2:19)

The standard of God has always been about sin that separates us from God. Sin is defined as running my own life instead of living as God directs.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him (on the Messiah) the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

The NT is all about Jesus who bore our sin that we might be turned back to God rather than go our own way. However, the OT and our own experience shows that this takes more that personal efforts to be ‘nice’ and follow all the ‘rules.’ We fall short because our own efforts will not remove our sin. We need a Savior and if we cannot admit that, we are stuck with those personal efforts.

One of those efforts might be church attendance . . . and if that is all it is, it doesn’t work. In a local church made up of genuine believers, a sinful soul may be accepted by loving people yet they will be praying for his salvation. On the other hand, if that person attends a ‘liberal’ church that has changed the Gospel to one of ‘do your best’ they might feel more freedom, yet their unsaved condition has not changed. Church does not fix sin either.

Another solution is to redefine sin, salvation and wave goodbye to church because ‘it doesn’t work for me and it is only a building full of hypocrites.’ Sadly both reasons can be true.

This Sunday, someone new to our church said he liked the simplicity of it. The Gospel is preached, questions are answered, and the Bible is used — it is not a place to be entertained but to hear the truth.

Jesus said “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18) He also talked about false teachers getting into His church. He knows who has stepped onto that slippery slope. He also knows who belongs to Him and promises to preserve His people and keep us from getting muddled.

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Jesus, You know the true and the twisted, the claims of righteousness based on ‘how good I am’ or outward appearance. All through the ages, even when they were dark, You were building Your church. One day, You will reign and Your people will shine like the stars. In the meantime, may we be faithful to You in this mess of religious confusion.

Transformed lives is still the norm!

In the beginning of the church, God displayed to the known world what happens to people who are forgiven and redeemed, saved from the bondage of sin. Acts is Luke’s eye-witness account. From it I know about that dramatic change wrought by God to those who believe in Jesus Christ and gave their lives to Him.

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)

Is this the norm? Does this still happen? Some people say that the church today should be more like the early church with a greater demonstration of the power of God in their lives. If these verses describe what they mean, it would be wonderful, yet church history has brought issues that have changed things. I don’t offer those changes as excuses, only explanations.

In North America, life’s pressures have Christians busy with work, family and all sorts of activities that pull them away from Bible study, fellowship that includes eating together, and prayer. In many other parts of the world, these activities have stopped or gone underground because governments have made them illegal.

Signs and wonders have fallen into question. Many theologians teach that these served a purpose then but are no longer part of God’s plan. Many Christians think that miracles have ceased, and without them, awe for God’s power has also faded. Adding to this is the tendency of media to bypass stories that glorify God or draw favorable attention to God’s people. Living for Christ seldom gets any press.

Believers are still willing to share. The stories of their generosity also seldom hit the news. As one reporter told me, if it bleeds, it leads and good news does not bleed, usually. Besides that, government has taken over the role of caring for the needy. We now rely on unemployment insurance and a host of other resources. Christian people offer soup kitchens but so do others. We no longer rate high in helping one another or the poor, and even if we did, it would not reach the press.

Over the centuries, the Spirit of God has prompted revivals where the church experiences renewal and people are drawn from ignoring God to salvation. I’ve heard that in some revivals the change in Christians was so dramatic that when they walked down the street, the Spirit touched others on the other side of the street and brought them to their knees before God in repentance and faith.

Perhaps that is the desire in our hearts when we say we should be like the early church. We want to be effective in our witness so that when we share our stories and our lives with each other, the world sees it and people are drawn to the Lord Jesus. As I read the above passage, I see that it is not that simple. If we want to be like those first Christians, we must devote ourselves to being together, to Bible study and prayer, having all things in common, selling our stuff and using the money to meet needs. This is not a description of Sunday church attendance, but a day by day focus on the things of God.

There is no mention in Acts of those new Christians having hobbies or spare time. It does not say anything about their employment because it was not the most important thing, nor does it mention themselves or their children being enrolled in lessons, sports, or other activities. These people were glad to eat together and generous of heart, praising God and not interested in awards or rewards. Could modern-day believers in our culture actually live like that? Could the persecuted church in other parts of the world enjoy that kind of togetherness without fear of being arrested or worse?

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Jesus, I cannot answer my own questions. I know You can do whatever You want with us. The changes in the first century were instigated and sustained by the Holy Spirit. We are called to live for You in a totally different setting and challenged by many issues that did not exist at the time covered by Luke when he wrote Acts. As it has been said, every generation must work out its own theology and how to live it in the time in which we live. They had their challenges and so do we. All I can ask is that You enable me to obey Your will today in my world in ways that bring You glory.

Keeping Records?

My mom left me with a bundle of five-year diaries. I’m not sure if I will read them, but I understand her desire to write down the events of her life. My personal history may be of little interest to anyone besides me, but it feels important to make notes of it.

Luke felt the same, not about his own life but the life of Christ and the life of the church. He told the stories of what Jesus did and said, then in another letter to the same recipient he continued his narrative about the way Jesus lived and moved in His people during the first few decades of the church.

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:1–4)

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:1–3)

Luke stresses the importance of an orderly account. I’m thinking of mom’s rambling style. If I had to put her story into a chronological sequence, I would find it difficult. She might be telling of something that happened the day before, but it could be an event from ten years prior. This would confuse me, never mind other readers.

Luke obviously wanted to tell his reader how the work of Christ continued in His people. He also wanted them to know that the promised Holy Spirit came and how that happened. And he wanted it clear, orderly, just as it happened.

Then he (Jesus) opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:45–49)

And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:4–5)

I know that my mom could not see into the future like Jesus did. I don’t know if she compared her early life with her life as she grew older. I do know she read her Bible faithfully, but I don’t know if she connected the dots from the Old Testament promises to their fulfillment in the NT. However, Luke and the other gospel writers did. All of them wanted readers to know that Jesus Christ keeps His Word and that God has our futures included in His plans.

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Lord Jesus, thank You for keeping Your people in the loop regarding the early church. You gave us men like Luke to write it down — probably because Paul was far too busy working with and writing about current issues! From beginning to the end of the book I can see Your grace and the way people changed and followed Jesus. From the many examples, I can see areas where I need to change and where I can be a more dedicated and faithful servant. Thank You for putting it into Luke’s heart to write these letters, and into the hearts of others to do the same.