Church Secrets to Success

I wrote last week of the teaching I would give Sunday from the fourth chapter of Acts (the fifth book in the Bible's New Testament.)

We've all been burned by Christianity, haven't we? At least, that's how we feel. We've seen the televangelists asking for money or miraculously healing people, and been offended. We've seen the news stories of Christians bombing abortion clinics, or picketing some cause, and been turned off. We've "caught" a professing Christian in an act of hypocracy and become disenchanted. We've even been disappointed by people we go to church with, feeling betrayed by something they said or did. For the cynics among us, it might seem like Christianity is one big headache.

If you've ever felt this way, I would encourage you to read the end of Acts chapter 4. In it, the author Luke describes a tremendous time in church history, when brand new Christians were in love with their Savior and with each other.

Note how Luke says that the brothers were one in heart. These baby Christians had only a few days and weeks earlier come to understand that Jesus was their Savior, and their lives had been redeemed. They were in love with the Messiah, the bringer of the good news of salvation. Their hearts were turned in unison to God, because each of them had been "adopted" by God.

The text says that they were one in mind. How refreshing! When was the last time you felt like you were one in mind with any other mind. How difficult it can be to be one in mind with our own spouse or best friend, let alone a large group of people! The Christian's oneness of mind was expressed in their love and service to each other, even to the point of selling their posessions to take care of each other.

And, God's grace was upon them. The word "grace" was a common Greek word that often was used to denote a "gift." What was God's gift to these Christians in Acts 4? Peace, love, patience -- attributes that can fall by the wayside very quickly when we begin to look critically at others.

The lesson for me in this text is that oneness in heart, oneness in mind, and God's special gift of grace are the key components to a healthy church. When we lose focus on practicing and praying for these things, we open ourselves up to the work of the devil. Their's nothing that God's enemy wants more than to see Christians -- God's army -- divided.

Seek first to make peace with your Savior, and then with your brother in Christ, or as Jesus put it, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."