They were gathering together in one place; They were filled with the Holy Spirit; Some who heard the gospel were amazed and perplexed; some made fun of them; Acts 2:21 - Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; God deliberately handed Jesus to wicked men to die; Repent of sin, claim Jesus' Blood as your defense, be baptized, receive the Holy Spirit; Jesus will save you from the corruption of the day; 3,000 were added to their number that day; Devotion to teaching, fellowship, sharing meals, and prayer; Gave to each other freely to meet each others' needs; The Lord added to their numbers daily those who were being saved.
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So today I read Acts Chapter 2. Inspirational; one of those chapters that makes me proud to be a Christian, and excited that the Lord could still do those things through us today. But the key word is "could." I feel like so many times, I am thrilled at the thought that my God was powerful enough to do these things then, and the early Christian church was able to experience such community with each other then. That's my Christian heritage.
But it begs the question: what happened? Can we, in Northern Virginia, have that now? Brandon and I are living in a cul de sac and don't know all our neighbors. It's socially acceptable in Nova to live in a silo where work becomes community - church is placed in a category that serves to "do good," and make everyone feel better about themselves. There's no conviction to repent of sin and from that repentence, change your life to give sacrificially for the Body of Christ.
Can we live in biblical community in Northern Virginia?
I believe, absolutely, that we can. Our God is still the same God now as He was when the first church formed. He is still the loving Father who draws me to my knees to turn from my sin and follow Him. He's still the friend who sticks closer than a brother, and He is yet Almighty God, the Lord of Heaven's Armies. He is the one who convicts hearts to turn to Him and its the blood of His Son, Jesus, that stands in my defense. My sins are forgiven and I never have to use church to feel good about myself. I never have to try to be good enough or out-do the other guy. I am a new creation, and my identity is a child of God.
Therefore, I will pray hard for the Acts 2 Church to happen in Northern Virginia. I will pray with passion and hope that the Lord will place in men and women a desire to know forgiveness for their sin, and the freedom that comes from never having to guess how good they have to be to earn the Love of God. I will pray that this region becomes an area known for its repentant and humble spirit. I will pray that we turn to our Lord and never lean on our own understanding, in good times and bad. I will pray for Biblical community to occur when we give freely of our resources in the name of Jesus Christ, that we celebrate the new creations we become when we know forgiveness of our sins and the powerful movement of the Holy Spirit. I will pray that the Lord will add to the church's number those who are new converts to the gospel - not those who are dissatisfied with a current worship experience or those who simply want church to be a traditional Sunday routine. He can break the power of tradition, as He broke the Jews' expenctations of religion in Acts by freeing them from the law. He can do the same thing in Northern Virginia, and it starts here and now.
There will be those who receive the message and are greatly perplexed and amazed; there will also be those who make fun of it and turn away from Jesus' blood. I will pray that I would unashamedly claim Christ, despite the fact that I may lose friendships, relationships, a job, or dignity. Jesus forgave my sins and gave me grace to live life for Him. I am new and clean. I am no longer a liar, a manipulator, a back-stabber, a betrayor, an insecure attention-seeker, or a prideful, selfish wretch. I am a daughter of the King of Kings.
Praise God for all He has done and all He has yet to do.
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