“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. 32. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that any of their possessions was his own possession; but they had all things common.”
The context of this text is the aftermath of believers being told that they could no longer preach in the name of Jesus. These verses are their response and they paint a portrait of what I will call “a good church.” When we think of a good church, we usually think of the church in Acts. These verses give credence to that opinion. Following is what comprises the “Portrait of a Good Church.” The first part of the portrait is the Holy Spirit. No church is a good church that is not filled with and led by the Holy Spirit. We get into trouble sometimes because we want to do what we can do instead of what God can do. It is the Holy Spirit Who enables us to do what God can do, which is what the church is supposed to do. Think of your church: Does the Holy Spirit lead in your church’s decisions? This leads us to the second part of our portrait – prayer. Notice that they went immediately to prayer. A church decides to do “God things” when it seeks God in prayer. A Spirit-led church is necessarily a praying church. This church did not figure out what to do on their own and then pray. Prayer is not the last resort of a good church; rather, it is the first act of a good church. Again, think of your church, is your church a praying church? Do you pray about the decisions to be made about the work of your church, or do you just “figure out the best move?” Dwight L. Moody wrote that “every great movement of God begins with a kneeling figure.” It is also true that every great movement of a good church begins with kneeling, praying, figures. When we seek the power of the Holy Spirit in sincere prayer, He will empower and use us. The third part of this portrait is boldness: “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” Notice the order: They sought God’s Spirit in prayer. They were “filled with the Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness." Our churches will not make a bold statement without prayer and without the filling of the Holy Spirit. We need to pray that our churches will have a bold witness in our communities. We need to pray boldly, love boldly and serve boldly, trusting God to give us the results that He wants for our churches. Notice that when this church prayed and sought the Spirit’s leadership they were of “one heart and one soul.” No church can give a bold witness if it is not unified in its purpose. The fourth part of his portrait is generosity: “Neither said any of them that his possessions were his own; but they had all things common.” A good church has an open heart and an open door. Every good church will be generous with its financial and physical blessings. This would stand to reason that a good church has open hands and an open heart. This demands the kind of radical love that Jesus had for all human beings. This portrait can serve as a witness to you, for if your church is to paint this portrait, you must paint it as well by praying, being filled with the Spirit, boldly living and proclaiming Christ, and by having an open spirit and an open heart. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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