Re-install.

Do you sometimes find yourself reading from the book of Acts in your Bible and then looking at your church on Sunday and feeling decidedly jealous of the early Christian church?

I do.
Not that I am in any better than everyone else in my church (I would dare say that in many cases I am worse), but simply reading the passion that just seems to radiate from these pages in my Bible makes me long for more.

The whole congregation of believers was united as one - one heart, one mind! They didn't even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, "That's mine; you can't have it." They shared everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them. Acts 4:32-33 (Msg)

How were they so passionate and I am not?!



I think I have a bit of an angle on this. It may not be new but it hit home to me the other day when I was hearing about the passion [for God] continuing to consume the youth in our church.

The passage above describes events after 3000 people were suddenly added to the church in one day! They simply exploded; all of a sudden the church was twenty times the size it was the day before. Without any warning the 'veterans' [and they themselves had only just been baptised in the Holy Spirit] were in the minority! When you have just encountered Christ for the first time you are firing on all cylinders, nothing can stop your passion. Now imagine feeling like that and knowing that everyone else around you is equally passionate.

Now that doesn't happen often.

We have had quite a few people come to know Christ in our church over the past year [PRAISE GOD!], but they are in the minority. They slowly pick up their 'church behaviour' from us veterans [what a responsibility we have, and how often we neglect it or get it wrong].

The youth in our church recently went away for a week long conference. While there they had an 'upper room' experience and it transformed them, all of them! Since they were away at the time they began learning from each other since the 'veteran' leaders that went with them were suddenly in the minority and the group was consumed by a [reasonable] selfless passion for God. In this environment their passion and obedience to Christ grew more rapidly than you can imagine. Upon their return the above passage could be used to describe them!

Now I am not encouraging you to be satisfied with the status quo. I'd say want more, desire more, expect more, give more! When our flickering flames of faith suddenly synchronise in a united passion for God, we will become an unstoppably positive and passionate force in Newport - even though we may give everything [ultimately] we'll still want to give. I want a church like that!

"The whole congregation of believers was united as one - one heart, one mind!"