Join Together Constantly

In Acts, right after Jesus ascended, the first church was “hardcore” in its mission, and the people of God were fervent in their efforts to stay connected with the Father. They constantly met together and prayed together. Their lives revolved around their common faith in Christ our savior. Today, many believers meet once a week for church. Some may be a part of a Bible study or a youth group. Others may be a part of a prayer group or participate in some form of ministry. While others may find it not important to meet at all. But I would argue that the body of Christ should examine what the early church did and try to incorporate some of the practices that helped them, as a community, to have a healthy relationship with God and with their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. After Jesus ascended, it goes on to say in Acts, chapter 1, verse 14:

“They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” 

Has group prayer become a forgotten, or unimportant, practice within the church? One of the main activities highlighted after Jesus left the disciples was the importance of gathering constantly in prayer. If you and your church gather often for prayer, that is great. No matter how often you do it, it would likely help to do it even more, not less. And for those who aren’t gathering at all, I would encourage you to examine the early church. I believe that we, as a body, need to return to prayer, understanding the power behind it and the necessity for it. When we don’t pray, it is as if we are saying to God that we don’t need him, that we can handle things quite well on our own. Because it isn’t only when things are falling apart that we should pray to God. Jesus prayed constantly, Paul said that we are to pray continually, and the early church understood that joining together constantly for prayer should be a priority. So I would challenge you, as I challenge myself, to reverence individual prayer, and to pursue group prayer. Press into God by speaking to him often. There are prayers that are most appropriately prayed in private, but there are also prayers that are likely most effective when prayed in a group. In either case, it is every believer’s mandate, and privilege, to constantly communicate with our Father, much like the church of old.

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If you have a spouse, significant other, or someone in your life that you love, I’m sure you would agree that it would be difficult to go even a day without communicating with them. When you are separated by distance, you may call, text or FaceTime them just so that you could see their face, hear their voice, or know that they are safe. Why, then, does it often times take a catastrophe for us to talk to our heavenly Father? Why don’t we purpose to meet together often and pray to our God? Might I suggest that it is because we are not following the pattern set by the early church; that we have become too busy and preoccupied with life; or that our dependence on God is growing cold? Meaningful and lasting change takes time. So I would encourage you, me, and every believer, to take steps toward a more consistent personal prayer life, and to engage in every opportunity to join together with others to pray. Because if it was modeled for us by the early church, it might just be important enough to practice today.

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Duty Fulfilled

Part of being human is that we make mistakes, we can get tired and lazy, and sometimes we start things without finishing them. But when it comes to our dedication to the Lord, we should exert extra effort and diligence, making sure that we don’t drop the ball. It would be nice if every believer, regardless of how long we’ve have walked with Christ, could look back on our life and say that we’ve done everything we could to fulfill our duty of following Christ, being an ambassador for him and being a good neighbor to our fellow man. It would be wonderful if we could say that we’ve made the most of every opportunity and that we didn’t shrink back when he asked us to do something difficult. I suspect that some of us can, but most of us can’t. Not if we’re being honest with ourselves. But Paul could. It says in Acts, chapter 23, verse 1: 

“Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, ‘My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.’” 

Have you fulfilled your duty to God in all good conscience? What is your duty? What has God called you to do? If you are unsure, I would encourage you to familiarize yourself with the scriptures to understand his hearts desire and to pray that the Holy Spirit reveal his calling for your life. Though we are all believers, none of our paths are identical. God may be calling you to do something different than what he is calling me to do. But the point is to obey; to fulfill our duty to God. When Jesus walked the earth, he came to serve, not to be served. And if he is a model for us, then we should have that same mentality. Jesus said that we are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourself. What does that look like for you? Are you doing it? Paul said to the Sanhedrin that he has fulfilled his duty to God in all good conscience to this day. Even if you and I aren’t able to declare that today, maybe we can make it our goal for tomorrow, and the future to come.

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Have you fulfilled your duty to God in all good conscience to this day? If not, I would encourage you to be about it; to purpose in your heart to pursue it. To some, that might mean that we need to pray to God and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal his plan for our life. To others, it might mean that we are to take meaningful steps toward accomplishing what God is calling us to do. And yet, for others, it may mean that we are to step out of our comfort zone in faith in order to fulfill our duty. Wherever you are in the plan God has for you, it is my prayer for you, and for myself, that we will be able to say that we have fulfilled our duty to God in all good conscience to this day.

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Sold Out

If you are a believer, have you counted the cost of follow Christ? Most of us in the United States feel little persecution for aligning ourselves with Christ, but we might want to consider how much persecution it would take before we would bend or even break. What level of persecution would cause us to put our well-being before our faith in Christ? Like Paul, we might want to consider where that line is before we are put to the test. When the prophet Agabus warned Paul against going to Jerusalem because of a prophesy he had concerning Paul being bound and handed over to the Gentiles, Paul responded this way in Acts, chapter 21, verse 13 which says: 

“Then Paul answered, ‘Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.’” 

Early on, Paul had counted the cost of following Christ. He had already decided in his mind and his heart that he’d be willing to die for the cause of Christ if it should come to that. How far are you willing to go for your faith? Are you willing to be teased and ridiculed? Are you willing to be avoided and ostracized? Are you willing to be condemned by your parents? Or like Paul, would you be willing to be bound and handed over to your enemies, or even killed for your faith in Christ? We may never truly know until we are put to the test, but I would challenge you to consider how far you are willing to go and whether you’ve truly counted the cost. Because it would be better to know now so that you will be prepared with your response should you ever find yourself needing an answer to that question.

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Have you ever heard the term, being “sold out” for Christ? It is a Christian phrase indicating that someone is all in for Christ; someone who has counted the cost, and has decided that there is no turning back. Are you sold out or is there a level of persecution that would cause your resolve to waver? Paul was sold out. He said that he was ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. God may not call us to this level of sacrifice, but it would be important for us to know that we would give up anything and everything for the cause of Christ should he require it of us.

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Self-Taught

I taught for ten years at our local university. And if you’ve ever taught a class, you may agree that there is a need, or even a responsibility, to become an expert on your subject. You may have endeavored to have an elevated grasp on the material, even beyond what might be necessary, so that you can accurately and thoroughly teach what you’ve prepared. But what does in mean to be an “expert”? How much training does one have to have before they can be considered an authority on a subject? Does one have to earn a degree or certification to prove their expertise? I’m sure a degree helps, but I would suggest that anyone can become an expert on a topic by basically teaching themselves. This can be true for anything; from building your own recording studio, to discipling others in the way of the Lord. Apollos, a Jewish believer mentioned in the book of Acts, knew this to be true because it says in chapter 18, verses 24 and 25: 

“Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.” 

Apollos may have been instructed by other theologians, or he may have only been instructed by the Holy Spirit. But I wanted to mention his story to highlight the truth that you don’t have to earn a doctorate in theology to teach others about the scriptures. You don’t have to be a pastor of a congregation to lead others to Christ. Just like you don’t have to be a master carpenter and electrician to build your own recording studio. I have a friend who taught himself how to build his recording studio by watching YouTube videos and volunteering as a sound technician at our church. He didn’t have a degree. He only had the drive. And that was enough to motivate him to become an expert in what it takes to build a studio. Now he records albums for music artists across the region. The same idea can be applied to the scriptures. I’m not suggesting that by watching YouTube videos someone can become an expert on the Bible. But you, and I, can study the scriptures and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us so that we can share what we’ve learned with others. I pray that God will give you, and me, the passion that Apollos had for the word of God. It says that he had a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures, and as a result, he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately. Let us do the same.

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I know of several individuals who have never taken a college course in Christianity, theology, or public speaking, yet they are teaching the scriptures with authority. And I know there are scores more around our country and the globe who are doing the same. This isn’t to say that there isn’t a place for institutional learning. As a matter of fact, that is a huge benefit. But God has called us all to make disciples. And to do that we need to understand his word; we need to be Holy Spirit taught so that like Apollos, we can teach about Jesus accurately. You don’t have to be a pastor to teach and disciple others. You can do it, and I can do it. I would encourage you to become a scholar of the Bible. I encourage you not only to read the Bible, but to study it. Allow the Holy Spirit to educate you and lead you in what to say as you share about him to others.

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From One Man

There is absolutely no place for racism within the body of Christ. Even new believers understand that the Bible, the Christian faith and the character of God are in direct conflict with the culture of racism. We were all made in God’s image. Jesus died for the entire world. And we are commanded to love our neighbor just as much as we love ourselves. In fact, in the parable of the “good Samaritan”, Jesus purposefully chose a Samaritan to challenge the Jews because Samaritans were thought of as “unclean”and “less than”. So in subtext of the parable, Jesus was saying that even a Samaritan can be a good neighbor. And in Acts, we learn that it doesn’t matter who you are, what skin color you have, or where you were born we all the same because all of us came from one man. It says in Acts, chapter 17, verse 26: 

“From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” 

From this we learn that there is only one race; the human race. From one man God made every nation of men. So if you claim to be a believer I want to challenge you to examine your prejudice. Is there anyone you might consider “less than” because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, economic status, age, weight, education, or any other variable? Remember, we were all made in God’s image and Jesus died for everyone. And in Acts we are reminded that from one man God made every nation of men. If you think about it, being prejudice really doesn’t make any logical sense, because it is only by God’s hand that any of us were born where we were. We didn’t choose our parents, our skin color, or our neighborhood. God did. So I would encourage you to remember that we are all equal in God’s eyes. And if that is true, and we are to take on the likeness of Christ, then we should also agree with this concept as well.

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Some biases that were ingrained in us a child are difficult to change. You may have been taught that Ford makes better cars that Chevrolet. I may have been raised to believe that the Detroit Lions are better than the Chicago Bears. Though these biases are not harmful, there are some that are. Prejudice can not only hurt those who are being discriminated upon, it can also hurt those who are doing the discriminating. It can hurt our relationship with God, because it is a form of sin, and it could hurt our relationship with our fellow man of whom we are taught to love. So if you harbor any form of prejudice in your heart, I would encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to eradicate it. Allow him to show you where you pre-judge others. And remember, the Bible teaches us that we are all equal, God loves us all, and we all came from one man.